Post by hawkeye on Dec 31, 2023 3:42:15 GMT
Having failed in her Greater Good opportunity to unseat Kat Braddock as FAWN World Champion, the babyfaced Golden State Wrestling refugee seemed ready to start another climb.
The blonde bounced behind the curtain, focused and knowing full well losing to a rookie at the bottom of the ladder, heralded as she may be, could be more damaging than losing to the champ at the top.
With the FAWNatics on the edge of their seats, ready to rumble, Shawn Mendes' 'There's Nothing Holding Me Back' coursed through the arena speakers.
THERE'S NOTHING HOLDING ME BACK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT2owtxkU8k
Seemingly regaining her Choir fan-base after the dalliance with Violyt Goodheart courtesy their Mania break-up and her near miss against the beach Brat, the crowd is on its feet.
And when the babyfaced Hughes marched into view, planting center stage, a shower of golden sparks behind her, the City of Angels’ very own cherub Heaven Hughes had everyone in the arena firmly in her camp.
HEAVEN HUGHES
The sporty, sun-kissed blonde appeared the perfect billboard for Cali. Much more wholesome and worthy of support than the Quake from the same state. A beaming Hughes waved to the captivated masses. The combatant was clad in a black and yellow, zippered Body Glove diving top; similarly hued and branded boy-cut trunks; her tanned legs and feet bare.
Hughes crow hopped into a trot down the ramp, bouncing back and forth to slap hands on either side of the aisle, Heaven showing no downcast aftereffects from the title match loss.
Likewise, the crowd remained taken with the fresh-faced, new blood, cheerily applauding the golden-haired grappler. Hughes energetically circled the ring and returned to the steps having glad-handed her way through most of the front row.
Heaven galloped up the steel stairs with a toothy, glittering grin. With an appealing vivacity, Hughes climbed the outside of the ring post and somersaulted through the Orlando airspace, sticking a landing with arms raised high and wide within the squared circle.
The Announcer raised his voice over the ovation as the blonde moved to her corner and stretched her lithe limbs.
“Our next match is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit. Introducing first…from Santa Monica, California, standing five feet two inches tall and weighing in at one hundred and fifteen pounds…the Sweetest Sunshine…HEAVEN HUGHES!”
The GSW import bowed, waved and smiled, a perfect example of the athletic West Coast ideal. Stirred on by the ovation, the Santa Monica Sweetheart took a lap, finally sauntering back to her corner where she bounces nervously, occasionally stretching in preparation and stealing glances to the stage above.
The crowd was still cheering Heaven quite heartily as her anthem faded into the background. The near silence spun out for perhaps ten seconds when the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from San Juan Romero in Coahuila, Mexico, she stands at five feet two inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and thirteen pounds. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO!”
RED RIGHT HAND:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QZlUpgTRtg
A soft, somber combination of piano and drums rose to the rafters and was soon joined by spirited jeers, the response a combination of folks who knew of her reign of terror in the UK and those just discovering her unpleasantness via this stateside run. No matter the degree of familiarity, the noise only grew louder when the woman in question strode through the curtain in time with the first verse of Nell Smith & the Flaming Lips' cover of 'Red Right Hand'.
SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO:
Castillo paused at the top of the ramp, her dark eyes flicking this way and that to note and index all aspects of her surroundings. This cataloging only took a few moments, then her attention returned to the squared circle and she started down the ramp without a word or even a sneer for the FAWNatics.
A primer for those of you who don't follow the UK and European scene: All of twenty years old, she'd arrived in England two years ago well trained in the more grounded, submission based aspects of Lucha Libre. Complete immersion in British Strong Style followed, with Castillo favoring the discipline's heavy striking element as well as its meticulous focus on targeting a specific limb or body-part. The time spent there did not see her capture any singles gold, however she'd quickly made a name for herself as one to watch and an extremely gifted technician. These qualities had endeared her to certain wrestling nerds, but not the casual fans, especially not after she'd laid a vicious mauling on none other than 'Sensational' Shea London shortly before Bethany Christian announced her FAWN signing.
If joining the premiere women's wrestling promotion in North America concerned Castillo in the slightest it certainly didn't show during her walk to the squared circle. The lithe little brunette was strictly business as she slid under the bottom rope and pushed to one knee. On her feet immediately thereafter, she strode to the nearest corner and mounted the second turnbuckle to a round of boos that grew all the louder when she raised a taunting index finger to her ear.
For this year-ending battle against the flaxen-haired fighter, SIC wore a classic fightin' Prussian blue one-piece with white accents and an additional cutout across her lower back and flanks that gave the impression of a two-piece from certain angles. Her pads and wrist tape were matte black and her boots were also black, though they were polished to a gleaming shine. Patently dismissive of the noise produced by the Orlando faithful, Castillo brushed them off with the flick of a wrist, then hopped down and settled into the buckles. Referee Craig Long came over to check her pads and boots and while Castillo made no efforts to hamper his efforts, she never gave him the time of day. The brunette's gaze was trained on Heaven Hughes with far more interest than anything else she'd shown the rest of the arena.
Still riding high with her replenished Choir following the World Title robbery inflicted upon her near the end of All Hallows Evil, Heaven slapped the top turnbuckle a few times, then switched over to rhythmic clapping to ensure the FAWNatics were all on the same beat when Merle called for the opening bell. The joyous cacophony didn't bother Sylvia, indeed she didn't seem to register it at all as she went through a few last minute stretches in the opposite corner. But don't mistake stoicism for obliviousness, Castillo's dark eyes honed in on her golden-haired opposition the instant the bell CLANGED throughout the arena. She headed for the center in a flash, though her movements were those of someone more interested in efficiency than vengeance.
Hughes saw this and knew the brunette would trap her in the corner if she wasn't careful so she matched Castillo's pace to meet her somewhere a little less crowded. Sylvia's hands came up even as she hunkered forward in a crouch that Heaven matched in case the newcomer decided to throw a kick ins—SIC darted forward without actually locking up. Instead she swatted at Heaven's fingers and spun around to one side in an effort to take the blonde's six. Hughes wasn't about to allow such an easy opening however and she pivoted along with the brunette to ensure their eyes remained lock—the Santa Monica Sweetheart shot in low and fast in search of Castillo's upper thighs, a target she would've wrapped up tight if Sylvia hadn't thrown her hips back at the last possible instant.
The evasion didn't drop Heaven to one knee, it did however put her off balance just long enough for Sylvia to snatch her head in a Front Facelock. Yanking her forearm up into Hughes' throat in the blink of an eye, Castillo joined her hands to transform the basic maneuver into a Guillotine Cho—NO! Sylvia's S-grip wasn't quite locked in yet which was why Heaven was simply able to shove the brunette away once she'd palmed a hip in each hand!
That bit of separation allowed the Lightweights to pause and better take the other's measure, Hughes and Castillo quickly appraising her opponent with an up and down glance. Heaven's sense of sportsmanship urged her to offer a hand to Sylvia, yet The Brat's cheap-shotting ways still played heavily on her mind and she knew damned well that the second generation superstar was no saint when it came to roughhousing. Even so, she nodded to SIC and said, “That was pretty quick, babe. Just not quick enough.”
“I don't have to be quick.” Castillo replied at once. “I just have to anticipate what you'll do next. And considering you have the worst poker face of any wrestler I've ever--”
“I do not!” Heaven interrupted. “A few good weekends at Pechanga helped me pay off my student loans a year early!”
Sylvia looked unimpressed. “Showing a little extra cleavage to distract the dealer hardly makes you a gambler. If anything--”
Castillo lashed out with a Toe Kick aimed at Heaven's navel so the blonde reached down to grab that ankle only to curse when SIC drew the feint back and cinched an arm around her foe's noggin. Drawing Hughes' temple down to the point of her left hip, Sylvia ground down on the hold for a few seconds before she slung the Californian over and dropped to the deck to THUMP Heaven with a Headlock Takedown! Stretched out on her left side with that flank pressed snug against Hughes chest, Sylvia craaaaaaaaaaaaaanked up on the Headlock hard enough to make the blonde kick her heels against the mat, though she was also careful to keep her chin tucked so Heaven couldn't easily throw a leg over her head for a counter-Scissors.
“You present an intriguing strategic conundrum, Heaven Hughes.” Castillo noted even as she tried to crush her foe's head between her forearm and bicep. “There's relatively little tape out there for me to study, so in theory you should be able to surprise me on occasion. And yet from everything I have seen, the word surprise doesn't exist as part of your vocabulary. I could politely refer to you as Schrodinger's Blonde, existing simultaneously as an enigma and a bore until the match is over and your position in the world is confir--”
Heaven got her left hand up against Castillo's chin and pushed back at a sharp angle! Sylvia turned her head this way and that trying to slip the blonde's hand, but Hughes wouldn't be denied and shortly thereafter she kicked her left leg up to throw it over-- “OOOOWWWW!”
SIC freed her right hand, took Heaven's nostrils between thumb and forefinger and twisted hard enough to make her eyes water! The sudden pain threw the Scissor attempt into disarray and allowed Castillo to lock her hands and bear down that much harder. “See? No surprises there.” the brunette noted with a contemptuous smile. “Though perhaps you're not as bland as I imagine. You might tap out to this Headlock, for instance. That would certainly prove unexpect—NGH! NGH! NGH!”
Heaven couldn't escape the brunette's grip so she chose to make the maintenance thereof all the more difficult by pistoning her right knee up between Sylvia's shoulders no less than half a dozen times! Castillo's eyes went from contemptuous to combative after the second strike hit home and she responded to the rough treatment by switching her pincer grip from the blonde's nose to her bottom lip! A single sharp twist had Heaven squalling with discomfort but it also increased the pace at which she threw those bludgeoning knees!
“Learn to wrestle, Hughes.” Sylvia demanded as she continued pouring it on with the Headlock. “If you're that interested in throwing knees like a drunkard I'm sure I could find some back alleys you'd find more suitabrrrrggghhhhh!”
The brunette had leaned forward to put as much distance between herself and Heaven's knee as possible but in doing so she'd put her chin that much closer to the Santa Monica Sweetheart's reach as she discovered when the blonde reached up and rudely palmed the lower half of her face! Puuuusssssssshing back on Castillo's chin with as much force as her position allowed, Hughes brought her right leg up once again and this time she hooked it over Sylvia's head! A little push combined with a pop of her hips broke SIC's grasp and dragged her down into a Headscissors she proceeded to work like she and the brunette had hated one another from the schoolyard instead of meeting less than five minutes prior.
“I can wrestle just fine, honey.” Heaven huffed as she pivoted onto her left hip to better bear down on the simple hold. “Maybe you should take some lessons on not being a world class bitch.” Heaven had expected immediate snark from the wriggling brunette, instead Castillo only worried and groped at Hughes' knee before balling her right hand into a fist she delivered a punch to the blonde's encroaching thigh. It wasn't nearly enough to convince Hughes to break the hold, yet SIC was apparently happy to throw hands over and over again as she repaid Heaven's knees with just as many stern little fists delivered to that perpetually-tanned--CRACK!
The Californian had been pushed up on her palms, now she dropped to a seat so she could reach over with one hand and SLAP Castillo's flat tummy as hard as she could! “More where that came from!” she warned the yelping brunette. “Of course, you were so quick to bend my nose and pinch my lip, you'd probably prefer something meaner, wouldn't you?” Heaven didn't wait for confirmation, she just jabbed her index finger into Sylvia's tummy until she found the indentation of the newcomer's navel beneath the thin lycra of her suit. Gouged in as deep as the material would allow, Hughes took the brunette's navel between thumb and forefinger and gave it a violent TWIST!
“BITCH!” SIC snatched hold of her foe's wrist and prized the pincer away, though not without kicking her feet against the mat a few times, a detail Heaven noted with obvious satisfaction. Glaring daggers at Hughes (who glared 'em right back) Castillo growled, “Be careful what sort of fight you start, blondieRRRRGGGHHHHHH!”
Heaven squeezed the Headscissors that much tighter and countered, “You're the one who started it, punk. Don't dish it out if you can't take--”
Sylvia got a hand under Hughes' right knee and pushed up hard enough to twist over onto her right side. That put the technician's back to Heaven which wasn't ideal, yet Castillo twisted on through to end up on all fours with the crown of her head grinding the canvas while still caught in the Headscissors. The awkward arrangement earned more than a few lascivious whistles from the more unsavory element among the FAWNatics and Heaven added to the clamor by treating herself to a few sharp swats to Sylvia's upturned glut—the Mexican import floated into a gorgeous headstand, then pushed straight up to pop her noggin loose of Hughes' stems and land in a crouch beside the other Lightweight!
Just like that she surged forward, hooked an arm around Heaven's throat and pulled her back to the canvas for another stern Side Headlock! Both of Hughes' hands were up in Sylvia's grill as soon as she secured the hold so the brunette didn't bother to repeat her earlier pinching and twisting. Instead she crooked her left hand into a talon and very deliberately draaaaaaagggggggged her nails across the blonde's forehead! Heaven hissed in discomfort, grabbed hold of Sylvia's chin in one hand and SMACKED her across the face with the other.
“Ropes are only a few feet away.” Castillo growled after the initial slap earned another round of rough scoring. “You want to reach them like a real wrestler or continue this slap fight bullshit?”
“Asks the chick that's trying to rip open my forehead.” Hughes grunted.
“Stop me if you don't like it.” SIC chirped before she clawed Heaven harder still. “And I don't mean tap out, I mean respond like someone who actually wants to figERRRHHHH!”
Heaven reached up, grabbed hold of Castillo's ponytail and PULLED the brunette's head back at an awful angle! “Hey, hey, hey, that's enough of that!” Merle warned as the grappling grew meaner by the second. “Break it up and get back to your feet! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!” Castillo and Hughes relinquished on 'FOUR!' and rolled in opposite directions, both wrestlers slow to return to verticality not because they were hurting but because they were so focused on staring a hole straight through their new adversary.
“If you’re trying to get in my head,” Hughes informed, “you’re wasting your time. Violyt makes you look like an amateur in that regard. I flushed her out. You won’t even get a foot in the door.”
“Sounds like I already did.” Sylvia replied as she pushes to her feet, poised like a raven-haired feline, ready to pounce when Heaven joined her.
She took a jab step at the blonde and the beach girl flinched, throwing her arms up in protection.
The diminutive but dangerous Castillo grinned and circled around a sheepish Hughes.
Slowly, the Mexican lessened the length between, and the combatants tie up in a Collar-&- Elbow. The lightweights struggled for leverage and slowly the flaxen-haired fighter edged into control, slowly walking SIC back in stages until the Latina’s spine touched buckles.
Merle again made his presence known.
“Better, ladies. But let’s keep it in the middle if we can.”
Heaven disengaged from her tawny-skinned adversary, raising her hands high, but only had time to take a single step backward before Sylvia’s hands shot toward her foe’s golden locks. She grabbed the baby-faced Angeleno and flung her into the corner, trading places with Hughes.
Not waiting for commentary from the official, SIC pounded a series of forearms into Heaven’s jaw, rocking the Santa Monica Sweetheart. But Castillo wasn't satisfied with legal blows. She climbed to a stance on the middle ropes, yanked back on Hughes’ hair so Heaven’s forced to look up at Sylvia, and began pounding a ten-spot of closed fists against the blonde’s pate.
Reflexively, the crowd counts along and, when the Mexican’s complete, she nimbly climbed to the top ropes and leapt off, wrapping her slender, sinewy thighs around Hughes’ noggin, then sent her flipping halfway across the ring with a Hurricarana.
Heaven’s dark eyes were spinning as she skidded to a halt, ending on her taut tush, pointed away from the predatory Latina. Hughes gave her head a rattle to shake out some cobwebs and spun to one knee to find her foe.
The beach beauty discovers all too much, as Sylvia raced toward her target and landed a SIC Kneelift, whiplashing Heaven’s head from the force of the blow. Hughes’ tanned frame quickly follows, ending splayed in front of the rookie.
SIC KNEELIFT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIYvemAgrgQ
Castillo grabbed an ankle of the shaken Cali cherub and pulled her out to the deep end, the center of the ring. There she dropped across the reeling blonde in a Lateral Press, hooking Heaven’s near leg for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Hughes kicked a shoulder off the canvas, turning to her side beneath the Mexican who hovered just above on all fours. Sylvia grabbed the left arm of the dazed blonde and rolled Hughes to her chest while capturing the arm in a Fujiwara Armbar from outta nowhere.
FUJIWARA ARMBAR @00:01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WduBrUOKs
Back to back and perpendicular with a howling Heaven, SIC looked to make quick work of the fan favorite, leaning back with her torturous handle. Heaven’s free hand hovered over the canvas, wavering slightly, lumps in the throats of the Choir at a potential submission. But showing growth from the youngster’s time in her previous gig, Golden State Wrestling, Heaven rolled to her right, stacking Sylvia on her shoulders for…
ONE…
TWO…
Castillo gave up her grip to keep the count from proceeding. She scrambled to her feet, beating the blonde to vertical with enough time to deliver a stomp to the temple of a rising Hughes, Heaven sent sprawling back to the canvas.
The crowd began a rhythmic clap to rally their beloved blonde. Sylvia sneered, shaking her head. “You’d be a little less pathetic if you cheered for talent rather than Beach House Barbie,” she sniped at the crowd.
As Heaven weakly pushed to her feet, Castillo drew the lowered head of the blonde into a Front Facelock and swept a limp arm of her adversary over her shoulders. Deftly, the Latina slipped an arm behind Hughes’ left knee to secure a cradle. SIC lifts the leg, leaving Hughes balancing precariously on one stem.
With the maneuver impeccably prepared, Sylvia spun Heaven to a ring-rattling CRASH to the canvas courtesy her flawless Fisherman’s Neckbreaker.
FISHERMAN'S NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczATpMwm-s
Heaven ended in a lifeless sprawl to which Castillo crawled. She settled atop the flaxen-haired fighter, roughly pushing Hughes’ head to the side, a cheek pressed harshly to the canvas as Merle counted the rookie to another impressive victory with the…
ONE…
TWO…
…the Golden State grappler spasmed, lifting a shoulder off the deck in the process.
The crowd cheered, excited to see the Santa Monica Sweetheart still alive in the fight, but SIC seemingly had a higher standard for any ovation.
“Show these people you have a quality worth supporting beyond perky tits and ass,” she demanded of the blonde. “Those may be enough for now, but the simps will move on soon, bimbo.”
“Shut your mmmmppphh.”
A seated Hughes’ reply was shortened when Sylvia clamped a Chinlock on the blonde from behind, thrusting her kneecap deep between the shoulderblades of Heaven.
“You’re a doll, puta. Nothing more!”
Castillo ground away on the grimacing GSW import.
“Fun for a while, but disposable. Violyt knew that. She tossed you aside when she got a chance at what she really wanted. Sure. She fucked things up after that, but I’m not nearly so...unfocused.”
Showing her heart, Heaven pressed her body against her foe’s frame and used the Mexican to rise, SIC showing the barest hint of astonishment. Reaching back, the blonde’s able to slip a Three Quarters Facelock over her shoulder, latching onto the Latina’s skull and Snapmaring the rookie over her right shoulder.
Sylvia’s hands reflexively moved to her bruised backside, face etched in pain from the landing. She failed to notice the SoCal beach girl race by a shoulder, leap onto the middle cable and springboard into an aerial U-turn out of the strands, crashing down across her fellow flyweight in a Crossbody Splash.
Hughes scooped an arm behind the golden-skinned lower limbs of her foe and stacked Sylvia on her shoulders, SIC’s legs bicycling above her for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Castillo tumbled free, collapsing to her side, stunned at how close she’s come to losing to the so-called Barbie Doll.
The Mexican scrambled toward verticality but Heaven, on hands and knees next to her adversary, whipped her legs around and cut Castillo’s out from under her. The blonde rolled her Latina rival into a Matchbook, back-pressing against the upturned ass of the fidgeting rookie for another…
ONE…
TWO…
SIC sprang out of the predicament and scurried for the ropes, sliding out under the bottom rope, calling for a timeout as soon as her boot soles hit the arena floor.
The angelic face of the blonde flushed with anger as she demanded Sylvia reenter.
“Barbie is kicking your ass, sweetheart and she wants some more. Get it back in here!”
Castillo waved a dismissive hand.
“You work on my time, gringa.”
If Sylvia believed such brazen rudeness enough to keep the blonde at bay, she was quickly disabused of the notion when Heaven slipped through the strands and made straight for the newcomer. “You don't want to fight where the ref can break it up?” Hughes scowled as she closed distance. “I'm more than happy to roughhouse out here you smarmy brat!”
Castillo began to backpedal behind an upraised hand, not because she wouldn't enjoy dragging the blonde's forehead along the apron or smashing her spine into the guardrail, but because she would dictate when such electives took place, not this escapee from a Pac Sun calendar.
“Who do you think you are, advancing on me like some sort of sunscreen-obsessed mugger?” SIC snapped even as she tried to put more distance between herself and the Californian. “You and I both know you're only a REAL threat wrestling in a tub of chocolate pudding or Jell-O, so save the tuff girl act forNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Heaven darted forward, caught hold of the brunette's outstretched wrist and used it to drag her into a Haymaker that put Castillo's head on a swivel! Still holding Sylvia's wrist as she staggered away, Hughes squeezed a little harder, then reeled her in and rushed forward with a Short-Arm Clothesline that THWHUMPED across her opponent's chest! Castillo went down flat so Heaven planted a boot on her chest and treated the FAWNatics to a cheeky bicep flex that earned rave reviews from everyone save SIC!
“Fucking get off me!” she swatted Hughes' boot aside, scrambled to boot-leather and tried to pull away only to find herself drawn into a heavy Kneelift across the tummy thanks to that damned Wristlock! Finally discarding the grip so she could secure Castillo in a Front Facelock, Heaven slung the brunette's near arm across her shoulders, then grabbed a handful of waistband and popped her hips to take the other wrestler up, over and down with a gorgeous Snap Suplex that THWHUMPED Sylvia hard against the thinly-padded concrete floor!
SNAP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GAmm9kty2o
Hughes immediately floated over into a cover that stifled the worst of her foe's wriggling only to scramble to her feet in the same breath. As for Castillo, she rolled over onto her stomach to take some of the strain off her aching back, alas this only worked in the short-term as it prevented her from seeing the Santa Monica Sweetheart take to the skies in an impressive vertical leap. Drawing in on herself as she neared the apex of her ascent, Hughes executed a flying toe touch before she stretched out full length and SLAPPED down on Castillo's lower back with every bit of her hundred and fifteen pounds!
STANDING FROG SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKMTR5gtL4
Facing the front row after this latest display, Heaven braced her elbows against the mat and set her chin in her hands so she could offer up a flirty smile while she treated SIC like her favorite pool floaty.
The gaudy treatment might've carried on quite a bit longer if the blonde hadn't registered Merle's count, the 'TEN!' telling her they'd already used up half the allotted time. “Feels like Merle's counting a little faster than usual tonight.” Hughes chided as she helped herself to a double handful of the brunette's ponytail. “Guess he realized you're not much of a wrestler when you're not protected by ropes and canvas.”
“Thuuuuu... that'd sting coming from someone who wasn't the Greater Good's towel manager.” Castillo grumbled as she was hauled to her feet. “And knowing Merle, he's probably got your best interests in mind, seeing as how you're not much of a wrestler, perioDDRRRGGHHH!”
Heaven grabbed Sylvia's wrist again, braced her left shoulder against the brunette's sternum and plowed backward to BWANG her against the guardrail hard enough to bruise some shins in the front row! Continuing to grind forward as she leaned in close, Hughes whispered, “Keep up this shit-talk and you won't be much of anything when the bell rings, honey.”
SIC offered no response to that, so Heaven dragged her off the steel with a handful of trunks and tresses and rushed across the narrow aisle to sling her under the bottom rope like a sack of laundry. She came to rest in the center of the squared circle, which was exactly where Heaven wanted her, judging by the celerity with which the Choirmaster hopped onto the apron. Top rope clutched in both hands, Heaven leapt onto the top rope and vaulted out into the void, the blonde curling into a tight ball that spun through a tight 450 just to unfold a heartbeat prior to THAWHAMMING down on Sylvia's chest!
SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFExs7hhrpo
No floaty pose when there was a count to be had, Hughes collected the brunette's legs in a snug bundle and folded her in half with a Back Press that kept SIC glued to the canvas through...
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Castillo wrenched loose and rolled onto one side, saving herself from defeat with half a second to spare. Heaven shot a glance at Merle but didn't bother to question the count. Despite the drubbing she'd inflicted on the outside she figured it was still a little early to put the brunette brat away. “Not so talkative now, are ya?” Hughes flattened one hand into a paddle and treated Castillo's backside to several quick, playful swats. “Why is that, Syl? Not as much fun to run your mouth when Barbie's kicking your ass?”
“Hhhrrrhhhhh... all you're doing is confirming my choice to never pursue traditional lucha libre. Thanks to idiots like Shea London and Lily Burlingame, any dumb bitch with a trampoline thinks she can NNNGGGGHHH!”
Heaven grabbed a double handful of hair, yanked Sylvia's head off the ground, then THUMPED it against the deck! “Watch your mouth with that kind of talk, Syl.” the blonde warned in the midst of hauling SIC upright for a Side Headlock. “That's the sort of thing that will make us enemies instead of rivals. And someone as mean as you? She doesn't need any more eneNGH! NGH! NGH!”
Castillo stuffed a few punches into Heaven's tummy, though it wasn't enough to free her from the Headlock. “Don't flatter yourself, Hughes. You're not an enemy, you barely rise above the level of nuisancEERRRRRHHHHH!”
The Santa Monica Sweetheart wasn't content to merely pull on the brunette's ponytail, rather she wrapped it around her fist a couple times and yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked like she meant to give SIC an impromptu bob! Merle chastised her for the rude treatment and in the spirit of the season Heaven abandoned the punishment by the time he reached 'TWO!' on his count. Of course Castillo was still mired in the Headlock which meant she found herself stumbling along in Heaven's wake when the blonde broke into a sprint for the nearest corner! Picking up speed even as the distance grew less and less, Heaven hopped up and slipped neatly between the top and middle ropes, the GSW grad landing comfortably on the latter while poor Sylvia was BWUNGED skull-first into the top turnbuckle!
TURNBUCKLE BULLDOG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jMVhvKRQaw
The impact broke Castillo free of the blonde's grasp and she stumbled backward in an obvious fog, the usually confident battler looking undeniably lost as she tried to clear her aching noggin. Back in the corner, Hughes slipped out onto the apron and swiftly climbed into the high rent district. Bolstered by the cheers of the capacity crowd, she raised both hands overhead and led the choir for a few bars while SIC stumbled about oblivious to the looming threat. Eventually the blue-clad battler turned back in the direction of the buckles and Heaven took flight in an effortless arc that saw her twist sideways in mid-descent, the blonde stretching out perpendicular to the canvas to administer her biggest offense ye—Sylvia spotted her incoming and, understanding she didn't have the time to prepare a proper countermeasure, simply moved clear and kept on walking, the brunette shaking her index finger 'no, no, no!' even as Hughes THAWHAMMED down on the empty canvas!
Heaven bounced up like the mat was electrified, the previously ebullient high-flier looking anything but with both arms crisscrossed over her torso in an effort to keep her organs in the right spot. She hadn't been vertical for more than a few seconds when Sylvia stalked up on her six, snatched a double handful of hair and went down on one knee to haul the blonde backward into an awkward bridge that DROVE the point of Castillo's knee between her shoulders! The ensuing jolt should've left Hughes writhing on the canvas, but SIC kept her grip nice and steady as she stood up and forced the Californian to do the same. Soon as that was accomplished she halved her grip, drew back her free (right) arm, then brought it slashing forward to THWHAP Heaven across the base of the skull with a nasty Enzu Lariat!
HAIR-PULL BACKBREAKER & ENZU LARIAT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2arUf6DYjOY
Remaining on her feet while Heaven crashed to the mat in a heap, Castillo set a boot on the nape of her foe's neck and ground down while she made a show of plucking a few flaxen strands from her palms. For a moment it looked like she'd toss them away on the arena's recirculated breeze, however a wicked smirk on the brunette's lips suggested a new course of action. Shifting her boot from Hughes' neck to her ribs, SIC shoveled the blonde onto her back, then bent down and aggressively mashed the collected strands in their owner's face!
“Nasty brat!” Heaven groaned and tried to swat Sylvia's hand away. “Get your skittery little rat-fingers out of my NNNGGGHHH!”
Castillo slapped the blonde's mouth, then grabbed a handful of hair and banged the back of her head against the mat until Hughes settled down enough to be rolled back onto her stomach. Circling around to her foe's feet, Sylvia took an ankle in each hand and pulled Hughes' lower legs into the air. From there she twisted around so her back was to the grounded grappler and braced her heels against Heaven's inner thighs before deftly threading those captured boots between her stems so Hughes' shins were wedged tight against the brunette's calves.
“Locking you up tight, Bikini-Meat Barbie.” SIC sneered as she sank into a crouch and swatted at the blonde's vulnerable flanks. “You going to do anything about it or do you wanna just sit there all sleepy-helpless so the Reddit pervs can build a new GIF set?”
“Yuuhhh... you bitch.” Heaven groaned when Castillo caught hold of her wrists and pulled tight. “You'll be looking at the lights and thousands of new weirdo followers after I beat your AAASSSSSSEEEERRRRHHHHHHH!”
Yanking up on Heaven's wrists, Sylvia rolled onto her back and pushed both legs straight up to stretch Hughes out in a nearly vertical bridge that left the Santa Monica Sweetheart balanced precariously on the crown of her skull! “What was that, blondie?” Castillo taunted over the whines and yelps brought on by her San Juan Romero Stretch. “You want to tap out already? I thought you'd want to moan for the audience a while longer!”
SAN JUAN ROMERO STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=086klgw4OlY
But Heaven’s gone well past moaning, straight to shrieking in agony, her entire body put through the ringer by the ingenious torture of the rookie.
“So dramatic,” Sylvia chuckled. “Never saw this move in the minors, did you?”
Hughes shook her overturned head to an inquiring Merle, but it might as well have been to Castillo. The Mexican’s cruel contraption brought the blonde to the edge of capitulation yet proved unable to push her over the line.
Losing patience with the wailing Sweetheart, SIC released her deviously modified Romero to send Heaven toppling over to her chest, Hughes mewling as she slithered along the canvas, slowly sliding toward the ropes.
The risen Latina smirked as she watched the fruit of her labor, Hughes slinking along the canvas like a slug. The blonde reached the cables and pulled herself to a kneel, leaning heavily against the cables with her pain-racked face pointed to the concerned members of her Choir.
With the present of positioning handed her like a tardy Christmas gift, Sylvia raced at Heaven and leapt into a Double kneestrike to Hughes’ shoulderblades, crushing Heaven beneath. But that’s not all her signature Existential Dread entailed, as Castillo promptly bounced away from the blasted blonde. SIC returned at full speed after a quick trip to the far ropes, CRASHING into the face and chest of the demolished Hughes with a Running Back Elbow to seal the deal!
EXISTENTIAL DREAD @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIYWM0sc2pY
Castillo snatched an ankle of the ragdolled Heaven and tugged her foe cavewoman-style to dead center. The golden-skinned grappler lowered to her victim, cradling the limb as she rolled to a Back Press pin, counting along with her free hand as Merle slapped the canvas for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Greater Good’s go-fer, as SIC pronounced her during pre-match puffery, proved she’s something more by shoving a shoulder up before the official’s hand can reach canvas the final time.
And Castillo was not amused, her features twitching with anger and frustration.
Sylvia pivoted and slapped the remaining taste from the mouth of the babyfaced blonde.
“If you want me to make an example of you, all you needed to do was ask.”
The rampaging Latina wrapped both hands around Heaven’s noggin and yanked the Santa Monica Sweetheart up as she rose. She POUNDED a Toe Kick deep into the tanned tummy of her foe to double Hughes at the waist. SIC underhooked both arms of the stooped Heaven and hauled her limp adversary up and over with a beautiful Butterfly Suplex, pounding the reeling Hughes against the deck.
BUTTERFLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3B55csISd0
The Mexican kipped to her feet and turned to face the arched form of her foe, Heaven reaching for the base of her injured spine. Sylvia collected the GSW import again, wrapping her arms around the flat midriff of the flaxen-haired cherub and vaulting the rubbery blonde over her shoulders with a picture perfect German Suplex.
GERMAN SUPLEX @ 00:36
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3B55csISd0
But to make certain Heaven’s Bad Luck Comes in Threes, Sylvia kipped to her feet again, drawing a mix of boos from the Choir but cheered from those who gave the devil her due.
Sylvia pulled the languishing Hughes into a Front Facelock. SIC threw a limp arm of the Cali girl over her shoulders and grabbed a handful of spandex on her hip, then elevated Heaven so the blonde’s boot soles pointed toward her namesake. And there she HELD the helpless Heaven for long second after second, possibly accumulating a full ten before delivering Hughes to a ring-rattling heap with a vertebrae-testing Vertical Suplex.
VERTICAL SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bRPVz-Bs0Q
SIC bounced to her feet one last time and placed a boot on the softly rolling chest of the starfished Heaven, the Choir loudly jeering the arrogant pin from the rookie. Haughty or naughty, the victory stance was good enough with Hughes in her wretched condition for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Sweetheart drew a hopeful cheer from her fans as she weakly edged a shoulder off the canvas in time. But it seemed likely false hope as Sylvia rolled to a kneeling forward straddle of Hughes’ waist, pulled Heaven’s braincase off the canvas with a handful of golden locks and THUMPED away with closed fists, disregarding Merle for the full four seconds before she disdainfully let Heaven’s head fall to the deck.
“You really want to make this my showcase moving into ’24, don’t you? Who says all you beach girls are selfish trash?”
Dismounting the punch-drunk Hughes, Sylvia hauled a vacant Heaven to her feet by a wrist and shoulder grip. SIC lifted the captured left arm and dipped under, twisting the limb as she does. Castillo slipped behind her adversary, creating a Hammerlock grip in the process. Grabbing the fan favorite’s opposite wrist, the Latina tossed that limb across her shoulders in preparation for a roll forward.
With both women on their backsides, Sylvia lifted and wrapped her near leg behind Heaven’s neck with her Hammerlock still in place, securing the SIC Bitch on her knotted, fading foe.
SIC Bitch:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLB3bObufkc
Stressing both her opponent’s left arm and neck with the Octopus Stretch, the snarling Mexican demanded Merle give the blonde fair warning she might snap either or both given the time.
Instead, the official translated the threat to a simple “Do you wanna give, Heaven?”
Hughes wasn't able to nod and the only noises from the blonde were grunts and moans.
Stuck in the Latina’s trap, Heaven strained against the snare, slowly but surely fidgeting enough to shift Castillo onto her shoulders, Sylvia’s ass pointed to the rafters, but with SIC refusing to break the submission through…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Sylvia released her ‘Bitch’ to escape the loss, scurrying away to one knee and sent a worried look toward the referee, then breathing a sigh of relief when she saw two fingers raised.
With Heaven up to one knee, the dark eyes of the combatants meet. Castillo turned to the ropes behind her to rebound and gain more momentum for her charge, expecting the spent blonde to be in the same position when she returned. But Hughes dug deep and sprinted after her foe, surprising SIC just as the Mexican U-turned.
Catching the raven-haired grappler in the cables, Heaven leapt and landed her derriere on the middle strand while her right arm wrapped around Castillo’s clavicle. Using gravity as her guide, the Santa Monica Sweetheart laid out from the springboard effect added to her Reverse STO and DROVE Sylvia’s face into the thinly-covered floorboards with a game changing Fall From Heaven!
FALL FROM HEAVEN @ 1:01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgoV77bmJc
The rejuvenated Hughes, adrenaline pumping, pounced atop the rookie in a reverse-facing straddle of the Latina’s waist. She hooked a limp leg and leaned back, lying on the splayed Castillo to claim her comeback win with the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
SIC showed her mettle, shoving Hughes off balance, and kicking loose from the pinning predicament.
Heaven, pushed to verticality by her foe, stumbled to the ropes and gathered her bearings, allowing Sylvia to rise if unsteadily.
The blonde attacked, pulling a stooped Castillo into a Front Facelock, tossing a limp arm across her shoulders, and hooking a raised leg, leaving a wobbly Sylvia on a single kickstand.
Digging deep into her reserves, Heaven hoisted Sylvia up and over with her Golden Gate Swing, a twisting Fisherman’s Suplex that sent the Mexican SMACKING against the deck.
GOLDEN GATE SWING:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGLGZVR16AM
Cradle pin in place after the harsh impact, Heaven waited for the slaps signifying her biggest win and Merle obliged with the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Castillo SLAPPED Hughes' taut tummy as hard as she could to break the blonde's bridge with half a heartbeat to spare! Heaven rolled to her knees and raked curled fingers through her hair, the Choirmaster unable to hide the frustration stamped across her face. A groan from Sylvia brought Heaven back to herself and frustration gave way to determination as she helped herself to the brunette's ponytail.
“All right, so you can do more than talk a big game, I'll give you that. But that whiny little grunt I just heard tells me you've come to understand that I can do a whole lot more that just soak up your offNGH!”
Castillo delivered a tart slap across the Californian's mouth, the force of it more surprising than painful given the other wrestler's stunned state. “Thuuuuhhhh... that's right, Hughes.” she huffed. “You can also whine like a bitch when I tie you in OOOOFFFFHHH!”
Heaven THWHUMPED a Broadside Kneelift across Sylvia's tummy with extreme prejudice, then lowered a shoulder and slipped that arm through the brunette's thighs so she could 'hup' her up in a brawny little Fireman's Carry! With her right arm looped across SIC's thigh and her left hand cupping the back of her head, Hughes went through a few Airplane Spin rotations for good measure before she shot up on tiptoes and dropped to her knees in a short but emphatic fall that THUMPED Castillo's already roiling gut across the back of the blonde's neck!
KNEELING GUTBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvgs7RFYonE
Sylvia produced an awful sound from deep inside that suggested Heaven would be wise to create some separation, yet rather than toss her burden away she got to her feet and rushed forward just to drop into a nimble somersault that PLANTED Sylvia's spine flush against the thinly-sheathed plywood.
FINLAY ROLL:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RljNMee_l0
Now the blonde disengaged, Hughes abandoning her hooks to leave Castillo flat on the deck while she bounced to verticality within easy reach of the ropes. Taking hold of the top in both hands, she hopped into an effortless perch on the middle strand and vaulted toward her target, Heaven twisting 'round and tumbling forward to THAWHUMP down across her opponent's midsection in a beautiful Springboard Corkscrew Senton!
SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW SENTON:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=US3PrkaLm8g
The Heavenly Choir positively sang for their leader to go for a cover, but Heaven had something far more vindictive on her mind. Scooting around so she was by the brunette's feet, she seized hold of Castillo's left ankle and got to her feet so she could use the grip to flip the other lightweight onto her stomach. In the next breath she twisted around and planted her left foot between SIC's stems, then helped herself to the right ankle and tucked it into the pit of Sylvia's left knee. Sylvia's left ankle was then stuffed against the pit of Hughes' left knee, those lissome legs caught in a threatening knot that grew all the more dangerous when Heaven snapped back in a truly gorgeous bridge and laced her hands across Castillo's chin. Crown of her skull planted firmly between Sylvia's shoulders, Hughes YANKED up on her grip to earn a loud wail of anguish from her trapped adversary!
MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJqOZezGP88
“AAAAARRRRHHHHH FAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Sylvia pushed up on her elbows and scrabble-scraped at Hughes wrists only to send her right hand back in search of the blonde's hair after only a few seconds of torment. She would've been able to grab some hair or wrap that arm around Heaven's noggin if the GSW transfer had set her head against the canvas proper, but with Heaven using Castillo's own body as her base the writhing ruda couldn't secure a viable grip.
“Ask her!” Hughes called to Merle after ten seconds of Divine Punishment didn't secure a surrender from her rival. “Whadda ya say, huh big-mouth? Ready for this to all be over?”
“Rrrrgghhh... you gotta be kidding me.” Castillo had stopped wasting energy on the blonde's hair and was instead focused on dragging the both of them into the ropes. “You think I'm going to submit because you've learned baby's first submission hold? No wonder O'Neal barely lets you carry her bagHHHHRRRHHHHHH!”
Hughes jounced the Muta Lock that much harder while puuuuuuuuuuuuuuulling up on SIC's chin hard enough to wrench her svelte frame into a gawdawful arch!
“Tell me something, Sylvia!” Merle asked as the FAWNatics began to chant 'TAP! TAP! TAP!' “Do I call it? Just say the word and I'll--”
“No!” Castillo waved a desperate index finger to confirm her refusal. “No, I won't tap—OOOHHH HAIR! HAIR!”
SIC shrieked like a banshee, the pitch and volume jolting Merle into shifting around to search for the infraction. In so doing he was unfortunately out of position and didn't see Sylvia grab hold of the Californian's wrists and jerk them up so Hughes' palm was snug against her mou—“OOOOOOOWWWWW DAMMIT!”
Heaven broke her grip and scrambled away to shake the sting from her nibbled hand before she fully realized what'd happened! But ignorance soon gave way to understanding and anger, and Hughes stormed back to Sylvia to catch a double handful of the brunette's ponytail.
“Tacky slut!” Castillo hissed as she was hair-hauled to verticality. “Get your hands off NNNGGGGHHH!”
A delighted 'oooooooohhhhhh!' from the capacity crowd when Heaven spun her rival 'round in a half circle and CRAAACKED her across the mouth with a huge Bitch Slap!
“Bite me again and you'll get more!” Hughes barked at the stunned grappler. Castillo offered nothing more than a scandalized grunt in response, so the Santa Monica Sweetheart traded the hair-hold for an equally stern grip on the scruff of Syl's neck. Pivoting toward the ropes on the far side of the squared circle, she took off at a run with Castillo trailing along beside. No slowing down for Hughes as they ran out of runway, indeed she put on a final burst of speed and leapt onto the top rope for a truly high flying Springboard Arm Dr—SIC lashed out with her right foot and kicked the rubber-coated steel just as Heaven reached her perch! The resultant jolt caused the blonde to lose her balance and she dropped like a rock, Hughes THWHUMPING down hard on the back of her head and shoulders!
Heaven flopped backward on impact and landed flat on her belly, where she probably would've remained for a good long while if Castillo hadn't buried her hands in the Californian's locks and dragged her up on wobbly legs. Hands locked snug across her foe's chin, Sylvia twisted around so they were almost back to back, but in this instance Hughes' neck was snugged against the Mexican's bicep instead of the point of her shoulder. This quickly proved a distinction without a difference as SIC went down on one knee and tore Heaven off her feet to THWHUNK the base of her skull against that posted joint!
NECKBREAKER ON KNEE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8-Hlhz_SNY
Hughes bounced to a seat with one arm absently cradling the back of her head, a protection that was summarily swatted aside by the incensed brunette. Making a point to grip Hughes' ears rather than her hair, Castillo gave them both a sharp twist when she hauled Heaven off the mat and drew her into a Front Facelock. Hughes looked to be little better than dead-weight at the moment, not that you would've known it by the urgency of of Sylvia's movements. Soon as the Facelock was secure she slung the blonde's near arm across her shoulders and snatched a handful of waistband just above the Choirmaster's left hip. Immediately thereafter she bent her knees and popped her hips, SIC taking Heaven up and over with the swiftness of a Snap Suplex, but rather than fall back she dropped straight down, the malicious newcomer SPIKING Heaven's skull into the canvas in the blink of an eye!
IMPENDING DOOM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoAGL_Fo2o
Reduced to glassy-eyed furniture in the wake of this awful Impending Doom, Heaven paid no notice when Sylvia swung around and settled into a domineering Schoolgirl Pin that wedged the point of Hughes' chin against the fork of Castillo's crotch. And even that wasn't enough for the spiteful beauty as she pressed her palms down on Heaven's face to ensure she saw nothing but gloom while Merle and the FAWNatics counted...
ONE...
TWO...
THREE!
The bell clanged things to a close and though Sylvia nodded in satisfaction, she made no attempt to leave her seat, choosing instead to undo, then redo, her ponytail while the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall... SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO!”
“Enjoy hearing my name with such clarity while you can, bitch.” Syl snarked down at the insensate blonde. “It'll only grow more faint as I rise through the ranks and you descend to the depths of house show purgatory.” She paused, tilted her head to one side, then reached down and booped the tip of Hughes' nose with an index finger. “Of course, I suppose I could offer you a lingering reminder of your one brush with greatness.”
Heaven offered no opposition to this suggestion, so Sylvia pressed her right palm to the blonde's left and pulled that arm into the air in an involuntary Knucklelock. Appraising Heaven's forearm with seeming ambivalence, Castillo gripped her adversary's elbow with her free hand, then earned a surprised murmur from the crowd when she leaned forward and delivered a gentle kiss to the Californian's wrist. Dark eyes flickering to Hughes' face, Sylvia murmured, “Don't EVER tell me what to do.” With that she leaned in and bit down HARD on the defenseless meat of Heaven's forearm!
“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH GAAAAAAAAAHHHD!” Heaven awoke with a shriek and a jolt, the confused battler trying to pull away from Castillo's jaws with no success. “STOPPIT YOU FUCKING PSYCHO!” Hughes flattened her right hand into a paddle and slapped at the brunette's head and shoulders as hard as she could. “STOP BITING MEEEEE-AAAARRRRHHHHHHHHHH!”
Castillo switched over to the soft spot beneath Hughes' thumb, then to just above her elbow, the newcomer leaving hateful red crescents in her wake!
The movable feast might've had several more courses if Merle hadn't hurried over and shouted, “Enough of that right now, Sylvia! Or I'll reverse the result on the spot!”
SIC snorted, tossed the gnawed limb aside and got to her feet while a furious, teary-eyed Heaven rolled onto her side and curled into a loose ball around her wounded arm. Above her, Sylvia offered her left wrist to the official, demanding that he raise her hand while she lifted her right foot and set it atop Hughes' twitching hip. Castillo felt a shudder of hatred pass through the blonde at her touch and she happily stoked it by grinding the toe of her boot back and forth while taunting the crowd with a sturdy bicep flex.
This pose proved triply valuable in that it earned 'pic of the night' honors from FAWN.com, got Sylvia her first full page shot in Gladiatrix and provided Heaven Hughes with some of the strongest bulletin board motivation she'd ever encountered. That was all later though. For now the blonde could only grimace while the brunette gloated and took another step toward the top of the Lightweight ranks.
The blonde bounced behind the curtain, focused and knowing full well losing to a rookie at the bottom of the ladder, heralded as she may be, could be more damaging than losing to the champ at the top.
With the FAWNatics on the edge of their seats, ready to rumble, Shawn Mendes' 'There's Nothing Holding Me Back' coursed through the arena speakers.
THERE'S NOTHING HOLDING ME BACK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT2owtxkU8k
Seemingly regaining her Choir fan-base after the dalliance with Violyt Goodheart courtesy their Mania break-up and her near miss against the beach Brat, the crowd is on its feet.
And when the babyfaced Hughes marched into view, planting center stage, a shower of golden sparks behind her, the City of Angels’ very own cherub Heaven Hughes had everyone in the arena firmly in her camp.
HEAVEN HUGHES
The sporty, sun-kissed blonde appeared the perfect billboard for Cali. Much more wholesome and worthy of support than the Quake from the same state. A beaming Hughes waved to the captivated masses. The combatant was clad in a black and yellow, zippered Body Glove diving top; similarly hued and branded boy-cut trunks; her tanned legs and feet bare.
Hughes crow hopped into a trot down the ramp, bouncing back and forth to slap hands on either side of the aisle, Heaven showing no downcast aftereffects from the title match loss.
Likewise, the crowd remained taken with the fresh-faced, new blood, cheerily applauding the golden-haired grappler. Hughes energetically circled the ring and returned to the steps having glad-handed her way through most of the front row.
Heaven galloped up the steel stairs with a toothy, glittering grin. With an appealing vivacity, Hughes climbed the outside of the ring post and somersaulted through the Orlando airspace, sticking a landing with arms raised high and wide within the squared circle.
The Announcer raised his voice over the ovation as the blonde moved to her corner and stretched her lithe limbs.
“Our next match is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit. Introducing first…from Santa Monica, California, standing five feet two inches tall and weighing in at one hundred and fifteen pounds…the Sweetest Sunshine…HEAVEN HUGHES!”
The GSW import bowed, waved and smiled, a perfect example of the athletic West Coast ideal. Stirred on by the ovation, the Santa Monica Sweetheart took a lap, finally sauntering back to her corner where she bounces nervously, occasionally stretching in preparation and stealing glances to the stage above.
The crowd was still cheering Heaven quite heartily as her anthem faded into the background. The near silence spun out for perhaps ten seconds when the Announcer resumed his duties. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from San Juan Romero in Coahuila, Mexico, she stands at five feet two inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and thirteen pounds. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO!”
RED RIGHT HAND:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QZlUpgTRtg
A soft, somber combination of piano and drums rose to the rafters and was soon joined by spirited jeers, the response a combination of folks who knew of her reign of terror in the UK and those just discovering her unpleasantness via this stateside run. No matter the degree of familiarity, the noise only grew louder when the woman in question strode through the curtain in time with the first verse of Nell Smith & the Flaming Lips' cover of 'Red Right Hand'.
SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO:
Castillo paused at the top of the ramp, her dark eyes flicking this way and that to note and index all aspects of her surroundings. This cataloging only took a few moments, then her attention returned to the squared circle and she started down the ramp without a word or even a sneer for the FAWNatics.
A primer for those of you who don't follow the UK and European scene: All of twenty years old, she'd arrived in England two years ago well trained in the more grounded, submission based aspects of Lucha Libre. Complete immersion in British Strong Style followed, with Castillo favoring the discipline's heavy striking element as well as its meticulous focus on targeting a specific limb or body-part. The time spent there did not see her capture any singles gold, however she'd quickly made a name for herself as one to watch and an extremely gifted technician. These qualities had endeared her to certain wrestling nerds, but not the casual fans, especially not after she'd laid a vicious mauling on none other than 'Sensational' Shea London shortly before Bethany Christian announced her FAWN signing.
If joining the premiere women's wrestling promotion in North America concerned Castillo in the slightest it certainly didn't show during her walk to the squared circle. The lithe little brunette was strictly business as she slid under the bottom rope and pushed to one knee. On her feet immediately thereafter, she strode to the nearest corner and mounted the second turnbuckle to a round of boos that grew all the louder when she raised a taunting index finger to her ear.
For this year-ending battle against the flaxen-haired fighter, SIC wore a classic fightin' Prussian blue one-piece with white accents and an additional cutout across her lower back and flanks that gave the impression of a two-piece from certain angles. Her pads and wrist tape were matte black and her boots were also black, though they were polished to a gleaming shine. Patently dismissive of the noise produced by the Orlando faithful, Castillo brushed them off with the flick of a wrist, then hopped down and settled into the buckles. Referee Craig Long came over to check her pads and boots and while Castillo made no efforts to hamper his efforts, she never gave him the time of day. The brunette's gaze was trained on Heaven Hughes with far more interest than anything else she'd shown the rest of the arena.
Still riding high with her replenished Choir following the World Title robbery inflicted upon her near the end of All Hallows Evil, Heaven slapped the top turnbuckle a few times, then switched over to rhythmic clapping to ensure the FAWNatics were all on the same beat when Merle called for the opening bell. The joyous cacophony didn't bother Sylvia, indeed she didn't seem to register it at all as she went through a few last minute stretches in the opposite corner. But don't mistake stoicism for obliviousness, Castillo's dark eyes honed in on her golden-haired opposition the instant the bell CLANGED throughout the arena. She headed for the center in a flash, though her movements were those of someone more interested in efficiency than vengeance.
Hughes saw this and knew the brunette would trap her in the corner if she wasn't careful so she matched Castillo's pace to meet her somewhere a little less crowded. Sylvia's hands came up even as she hunkered forward in a crouch that Heaven matched in case the newcomer decided to throw a kick ins—SIC darted forward without actually locking up. Instead she swatted at Heaven's fingers and spun around to one side in an effort to take the blonde's six. Hughes wasn't about to allow such an easy opening however and she pivoted along with the brunette to ensure their eyes remained lock—the Santa Monica Sweetheart shot in low and fast in search of Castillo's upper thighs, a target she would've wrapped up tight if Sylvia hadn't thrown her hips back at the last possible instant.
The evasion didn't drop Heaven to one knee, it did however put her off balance just long enough for Sylvia to snatch her head in a Front Facelock. Yanking her forearm up into Hughes' throat in the blink of an eye, Castillo joined her hands to transform the basic maneuver into a Guillotine Cho—NO! Sylvia's S-grip wasn't quite locked in yet which was why Heaven was simply able to shove the brunette away once she'd palmed a hip in each hand!
That bit of separation allowed the Lightweights to pause and better take the other's measure, Hughes and Castillo quickly appraising her opponent with an up and down glance. Heaven's sense of sportsmanship urged her to offer a hand to Sylvia, yet The Brat's cheap-shotting ways still played heavily on her mind and she knew damned well that the second generation superstar was no saint when it came to roughhousing. Even so, she nodded to SIC and said, “That was pretty quick, babe. Just not quick enough.”
“I don't have to be quick.” Castillo replied at once. “I just have to anticipate what you'll do next. And considering you have the worst poker face of any wrestler I've ever--”
“I do not!” Heaven interrupted. “A few good weekends at Pechanga helped me pay off my student loans a year early!”
Sylvia looked unimpressed. “Showing a little extra cleavage to distract the dealer hardly makes you a gambler. If anything--”
Castillo lashed out with a Toe Kick aimed at Heaven's navel so the blonde reached down to grab that ankle only to curse when SIC drew the feint back and cinched an arm around her foe's noggin. Drawing Hughes' temple down to the point of her left hip, Sylvia ground down on the hold for a few seconds before she slung the Californian over and dropped to the deck to THUMP Heaven with a Headlock Takedown! Stretched out on her left side with that flank pressed snug against Hughes chest, Sylvia craaaaaaaaaaaaaanked up on the Headlock hard enough to make the blonde kick her heels against the mat, though she was also careful to keep her chin tucked so Heaven couldn't easily throw a leg over her head for a counter-Scissors.
“You present an intriguing strategic conundrum, Heaven Hughes.” Castillo noted even as she tried to crush her foe's head between her forearm and bicep. “There's relatively little tape out there for me to study, so in theory you should be able to surprise me on occasion. And yet from everything I have seen, the word surprise doesn't exist as part of your vocabulary. I could politely refer to you as Schrodinger's Blonde, existing simultaneously as an enigma and a bore until the match is over and your position in the world is confir--”
Heaven got her left hand up against Castillo's chin and pushed back at a sharp angle! Sylvia turned her head this way and that trying to slip the blonde's hand, but Hughes wouldn't be denied and shortly thereafter she kicked her left leg up to throw it over-- “OOOOWWWW!”
SIC freed her right hand, took Heaven's nostrils between thumb and forefinger and twisted hard enough to make her eyes water! The sudden pain threw the Scissor attempt into disarray and allowed Castillo to lock her hands and bear down that much harder. “See? No surprises there.” the brunette noted with a contemptuous smile. “Though perhaps you're not as bland as I imagine. You might tap out to this Headlock, for instance. That would certainly prove unexpect—NGH! NGH! NGH!”
Heaven couldn't escape the brunette's grip so she chose to make the maintenance thereof all the more difficult by pistoning her right knee up between Sylvia's shoulders no less than half a dozen times! Castillo's eyes went from contemptuous to combative after the second strike hit home and she responded to the rough treatment by switching her pincer grip from the blonde's nose to her bottom lip! A single sharp twist had Heaven squalling with discomfort but it also increased the pace at which she threw those bludgeoning knees!
“Learn to wrestle, Hughes.” Sylvia demanded as she continued pouring it on with the Headlock. “If you're that interested in throwing knees like a drunkard I'm sure I could find some back alleys you'd find more suitabrrrrggghhhhh!”
The brunette had leaned forward to put as much distance between herself and Heaven's knee as possible but in doing so she'd put her chin that much closer to the Santa Monica Sweetheart's reach as she discovered when the blonde reached up and rudely palmed the lower half of her face! Puuuusssssssshing back on Castillo's chin with as much force as her position allowed, Hughes brought her right leg up once again and this time she hooked it over Sylvia's head! A little push combined with a pop of her hips broke SIC's grasp and dragged her down into a Headscissors she proceeded to work like she and the brunette had hated one another from the schoolyard instead of meeting less than five minutes prior.
“I can wrestle just fine, honey.” Heaven huffed as she pivoted onto her left hip to better bear down on the simple hold. “Maybe you should take some lessons on not being a world class bitch.” Heaven had expected immediate snark from the wriggling brunette, instead Castillo only worried and groped at Hughes' knee before balling her right hand into a fist she delivered a punch to the blonde's encroaching thigh. It wasn't nearly enough to convince Hughes to break the hold, yet SIC was apparently happy to throw hands over and over again as she repaid Heaven's knees with just as many stern little fists delivered to that perpetually-tanned--CRACK!
The Californian had been pushed up on her palms, now she dropped to a seat so she could reach over with one hand and SLAP Castillo's flat tummy as hard as she could! “More where that came from!” she warned the yelping brunette. “Of course, you were so quick to bend my nose and pinch my lip, you'd probably prefer something meaner, wouldn't you?” Heaven didn't wait for confirmation, she just jabbed her index finger into Sylvia's tummy until she found the indentation of the newcomer's navel beneath the thin lycra of her suit. Gouged in as deep as the material would allow, Hughes took the brunette's navel between thumb and forefinger and gave it a violent TWIST!
“BITCH!” SIC snatched hold of her foe's wrist and prized the pincer away, though not without kicking her feet against the mat a few times, a detail Heaven noted with obvious satisfaction. Glaring daggers at Hughes (who glared 'em right back) Castillo growled, “Be careful what sort of fight you start, blondieRRRRGGGHHHHHH!”
Heaven squeezed the Headscissors that much tighter and countered, “You're the one who started it, punk. Don't dish it out if you can't take--”
Sylvia got a hand under Hughes' right knee and pushed up hard enough to twist over onto her right side. That put the technician's back to Heaven which wasn't ideal, yet Castillo twisted on through to end up on all fours with the crown of her head grinding the canvas while still caught in the Headscissors. The awkward arrangement earned more than a few lascivious whistles from the more unsavory element among the FAWNatics and Heaven added to the clamor by treating herself to a few sharp swats to Sylvia's upturned glut—the Mexican import floated into a gorgeous headstand, then pushed straight up to pop her noggin loose of Hughes' stems and land in a crouch beside the other Lightweight!
Just like that she surged forward, hooked an arm around Heaven's throat and pulled her back to the canvas for another stern Side Headlock! Both of Hughes' hands were up in Sylvia's grill as soon as she secured the hold so the brunette didn't bother to repeat her earlier pinching and twisting. Instead she crooked her left hand into a talon and very deliberately draaaaaaagggggggged her nails across the blonde's forehead! Heaven hissed in discomfort, grabbed hold of Sylvia's chin in one hand and SMACKED her across the face with the other.
“Ropes are only a few feet away.” Castillo growled after the initial slap earned another round of rough scoring. “You want to reach them like a real wrestler or continue this slap fight bullshit?”
“Asks the chick that's trying to rip open my forehead.” Hughes grunted.
“Stop me if you don't like it.” SIC chirped before she clawed Heaven harder still. “And I don't mean tap out, I mean respond like someone who actually wants to figERRRHHHH!”
Heaven reached up, grabbed hold of Castillo's ponytail and PULLED the brunette's head back at an awful angle! “Hey, hey, hey, that's enough of that!” Merle warned as the grappling grew meaner by the second. “Break it up and get back to your feet! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!” Castillo and Hughes relinquished on 'FOUR!' and rolled in opposite directions, both wrestlers slow to return to verticality not because they were hurting but because they were so focused on staring a hole straight through their new adversary.
“If you’re trying to get in my head,” Hughes informed, “you’re wasting your time. Violyt makes you look like an amateur in that regard. I flushed her out. You won’t even get a foot in the door.”
“Sounds like I already did.” Sylvia replied as she pushes to her feet, poised like a raven-haired feline, ready to pounce when Heaven joined her.
She took a jab step at the blonde and the beach girl flinched, throwing her arms up in protection.
The diminutive but dangerous Castillo grinned and circled around a sheepish Hughes.
Slowly, the Mexican lessened the length between, and the combatants tie up in a Collar-&- Elbow. The lightweights struggled for leverage and slowly the flaxen-haired fighter edged into control, slowly walking SIC back in stages until the Latina’s spine touched buckles.
Merle again made his presence known.
“Better, ladies. But let’s keep it in the middle if we can.”
Heaven disengaged from her tawny-skinned adversary, raising her hands high, but only had time to take a single step backward before Sylvia’s hands shot toward her foe’s golden locks. She grabbed the baby-faced Angeleno and flung her into the corner, trading places with Hughes.
Not waiting for commentary from the official, SIC pounded a series of forearms into Heaven’s jaw, rocking the Santa Monica Sweetheart. But Castillo wasn't satisfied with legal blows. She climbed to a stance on the middle ropes, yanked back on Hughes’ hair so Heaven’s forced to look up at Sylvia, and began pounding a ten-spot of closed fists against the blonde’s pate.
Reflexively, the crowd counts along and, when the Mexican’s complete, she nimbly climbed to the top ropes and leapt off, wrapping her slender, sinewy thighs around Hughes’ noggin, then sent her flipping halfway across the ring with a Hurricarana.
Heaven’s dark eyes were spinning as she skidded to a halt, ending on her taut tush, pointed away from the predatory Latina. Hughes gave her head a rattle to shake out some cobwebs and spun to one knee to find her foe.
The beach beauty discovers all too much, as Sylvia raced toward her target and landed a SIC Kneelift, whiplashing Heaven’s head from the force of the blow. Hughes’ tanned frame quickly follows, ending splayed in front of the rookie.
SIC KNEELIFT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIYvemAgrgQ
Castillo grabbed an ankle of the shaken Cali cherub and pulled her out to the deep end, the center of the ring. There she dropped across the reeling blonde in a Lateral Press, hooking Heaven’s near leg for the…
ONE…
TWO…
Hughes kicked a shoulder off the canvas, turning to her side beneath the Mexican who hovered just above on all fours. Sylvia grabbed the left arm of the dazed blonde and rolled Hughes to her chest while capturing the arm in a Fujiwara Armbar from outta nowhere.
FUJIWARA ARMBAR @00:01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WduBrUOKs
Back to back and perpendicular with a howling Heaven, SIC looked to make quick work of the fan favorite, leaning back with her torturous handle. Heaven’s free hand hovered over the canvas, wavering slightly, lumps in the throats of the Choir at a potential submission. But showing growth from the youngster’s time in her previous gig, Golden State Wrestling, Heaven rolled to her right, stacking Sylvia on her shoulders for…
ONE…
TWO…
Castillo gave up her grip to keep the count from proceeding. She scrambled to her feet, beating the blonde to vertical with enough time to deliver a stomp to the temple of a rising Hughes, Heaven sent sprawling back to the canvas.
The crowd began a rhythmic clap to rally their beloved blonde. Sylvia sneered, shaking her head. “You’d be a little less pathetic if you cheered for talent rather than Beach House Barbie,” she sniped at the crowd.
As Heaven weakly pushed to her feet, Castillo drew the lowered head of the blonde into a Front Facelock and swept a limp arm of her adversary over her shoulders. Deftly, the Latina slipped an arm behind Hughes’ left knee to secure a cradle. SIC lifts the leg, leaving Hughes balancing precariously on one stem.
With the maneuver impeccably prepared, Sylvia spun Heaven to a ring-rattling CRASH to the canvas courtesy her flawless Fisherman’s Neckbreaker.
FISHERMAN'S NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczATpMwm-s
Heaven ended in a lifeless sprawl to which Castillo crawled. She settled atop the flaxen-haired fighter, roughly pushing Hughes’ head to the side, a cheek pressed harshly to the canvas as Merle counted the rookie to another impressive victory with the…
ONE…
TWO…
…the Golden State grappler spasmed, lifting a shoulder off the deck in the process.
The crowd cheered, excited to see the Santa Monica Sweetheart still alive in the fight, but SIC seemingly had a higher standard for any ovation.
“Show these people you have a quality worth supporting beyond perky tits and ass,” she demanded of the blonde. “Those may be enough for now, but the simps will move on soon, bimbo.”
“Shut your mmmmppphh.”
A seated Hughes’ reply was shortened when Sylvia clamped a Chinlock on the blonde from behind, thrusting her kneecap deep between the shoulderblades of Heaven.
“You’re a doll, puta. Nothing more!”
Castillo ground away on the grimacing GSW import.
“Fun for a while, but disposable. Violyt knew that. She tossed you aside when she got a chance at what she really wanted. Sure. She fucked things up after that, but I’m not nearly so...unfocused.”
Showing her heart, Heaven pressed her body against her foe’s frame and used the Mexican to rise, SIC showing the barest hint of astonishment. Reaching back, the blonde’s able to slip a Three Quarters Facelock over her shoulder, latching onto the Latina’s skull and Snapmaring the rookie over her right shoulder.
Sylvia’s hands reflexively moved to her bruised backside, face etched in pain from the landing. She failed to notice the SoCal beach girl race by a shoulder, leap onto the middle cable and springboard into an aerial U-turn out of the strands, crashing down across her fellow flyweight in a Crossbody Splash.
Hughes scooped an arm behind the golden-skinned lower limbs of her foe and stacked Sylvia on her shoulders, SIC’s legs bicycling above her for…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Castillo tumbled free, collapsing to her side, stunned at how close she’s come to losing to the so-called Barbie Doll.
The Mexican scrambled toward verticality but Heaven, on hands and knees next to her adversary, whipped her legs around and cut Castillo’s out from under her. The blonde rolled her Latina rival into a Matchbook, back-pressing against the upturned ass of the fidgeting rookie for another…
ONE…
TWO…
SIC sprang out of the predicament and scurried for the ropes, sliding out under the bottom rope, calling for a timeout as soon as her boot soles hit the arena floor.
The angelic face of the blonde flushed with anger as she demanded Sylvia reenter.
“Barbie is kicking your ass, sweetheart and she wants some more. Get it back in here!”
Castillo waved a dismissive hand.
“You work on my time, gringa.”
If Sylvia believed such brazen rudeness enough to keep the blonde at bay, she was quickly disabused of the notion when Heaven slipped through the strands and made straight for the newcomer. “You don't want to fight where the ref can break it up?” Hughes scowled as she closed distance. “I'm more than happy to roughhouse out here you smarmy brat!”
Castillo began to backpedal behind an upraised hand, not because she wouldn't enjoy dragging the blonde's forehead along the apron or smashing her spine into the guardrail, but because she would dictate when such electives took place, not this escapee from a Pac Sun calendar.
“Who do you think you are, advancing on me like some sort of sunscreen-obsessed mugger?” SIC snapped even as she tried to put more distance between herself and the Californian. “You and I both know you're only a REAL threat wrestling in a tub of chocolate pudding or Jell-O, so save the tuff girl act forNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Heaven darted forward, caught hold of the brunette's outstretched wrist and used it to drag her into a Haymaker that put Castillo's head on a swivel! Still holding Sylvia's wrist as she staggered away, Hughes squeezed a little harder, then reeled her in and rushed forward with a Short-Arm Clothesline that THWHUMPED across her opponent's chest! Castillo went down flat so Heaven planted a boot on her chest and treated the FAWNatics to a cheeky bicep flex that earned rave reviews from everyone save SIC!
“Fucking get off me!” she swatted Hughes' boot aside, scrambled to boot-leather and tried to pull away only to find herself drawn into a heavy Kneelift across the tummy thanks to that damned Wristlock! Finally discarding the grip so she could secure Castillo in a Front Facelock, Heaven slung the brunette's near arm across her shoulders, then grabbed a handful of waistband and popped her hips to take the other wrestler up, over and down with a gorgeous Snap Suplex that THWHUMPED Sylvia hard against the thinly-padded concrete floor!
SNAP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GAmm9kty2o
Hughes immediately floated over into a cover that stifled the worst of her foe's wriggling only to scramble to her feet in the same breath. As for Castillo, she rolled over onto her stomach to take some of the strain off her aching back, alas this only worked in the short-term as it prevented her from seeing the Santa Monica Sweetheart take to the skies in an impressive vertical leap. Drawing in on herself as she neared the apex of her ascent, Hughes executed a flying toe touch before she stretched out full length and SLAPPED down on Castillo's lower back with every bit of her hundred and fifteen pounds!
STANDING FROG SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrKMTR5gtL4
Facing the front row after this latest display, Heaven braced her elbows against the mat and set her chin in her hands so she could offer up a flirty smile while she treated SIC like her favorite pool floaty.
The gaudy treatment might've carried on quite a bit longer if the blonde hadn't registered Merle's count, the 'TEN!' telling her they'd already used up half the allotted time. “Feels like Merle's counting a little faster than usual tonight.” Hughes chided as she helped herself to a double handful of the brunette's ponytail. “Guess he realized you're not much of a wrestler when you're not protected by ropes and canvas.”
“Thuuuuu... that'd sting coming from someone who wasn't the Greater Good's towel manager.” Castillo grumbled as she was hauled to her feet. “And knowing Merle, he's probably got your best interests in mind, seeing as how you're not much of a wrestler, perioDDRRRGGHHH!”
Heaven grabbed Sylvia's wrist again, braced her left shoulder against the brunette's sternum and plowed backward to BWANG her against the guardrail hard enough to bruise some shins in the front row! Continuing to grind forward as she leaned in close, Hughes whispered, “Keep up this shit-talk and you won't be much of anything when the bell rings, honey.”
SIC offered no response to that, so Heaven dragged her off the steel with a handful of trunks and tresses and rushed across the narrow aisle to sling her under the bottom rope like a sack of laundry. She came to rest in the center of the squared circle, which was exactly where Heaven wanted her, judging by the celerity with which the Choirmaster hopped onto the apron. Top rope clutched in both hands, Heaven leapt onto the top rope and vaulted out into the void, the blonde curling into a tight ball that spun through a tight 450 just to unfold a heartbeat prior to THAWHAMMING down on Sylvia's chest!
SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFExs7hhrpo
No floaty pose when there was a count to be had, Hughes collected the brunette's legs in a snug bundle and folded her in half with a Back Press that kept SIC glued to the canvas through...
ONE...
TWO...
THRNOOOO!
Castillo wrenched loose and rolled onto one side, saving herself from defeat with half a second to spare. Heaven shot a glance at Merle but didn't bother to question the count. Despite the drubbing she'd inflicted on the outside she figured it was still a little early to put the brunette brat away. “Not so talkative now, are ya?” Hughes flattened one hand into a paddle and treated Castillo's backside to several quick, playful swats. “Why is that, Syl? Not as much fun to run your mouth when Barbie's kicking your ass?”
“Hhhrrrhhhhh... all you're doing is confirming my choice to never pursue traditional lucha libre. Thanks to idiots like Shea London and Lily Burlingame, any dumb bitch with a trampoline thinks she can NNNGGGGHHH!”
Heaven grabbed a double handful of hair, yanked Sylvia's head off the ground, then THUMPED it against the deck! “Watch your mouth with that kind of talk, Syl.” the blonde warned in the midst of hauling SIC upright for a Side Headlock. “That's the sort of thing that will make us enemies instead of rivals. And someone as mean as you? She doesn't need any more eneNGH! NGH! NGH!”
Castillo stuffed a few punches into Heaven's tummy, though it wasn't enough to free her from the Headlock. “Don't flatter yourself, Hughes. You're not an enemy, you barely rise above the level of nuisancEERRRRRHHHHH!”
The Santa Monica Sweetheart wasn't content to merely pull on the brunette's ponytail, rather she wrapped it around her fist a couple times and yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked like she meant to give SIC an impromptu bob! Merle chastised her for the rude treatment and in the spirit of the season Heaven abandoned the punishment by the time he reached 'TWO!' on his count. Of course Castillo was still mired in the Headlock which meant she found herself stumbling along in Heaven's wake when the blonde broke into a sprint for the nearest corner! Picking up speed even as the distance grew less and less, Heaven hopped up and slipped neatly between the top and middle ropes, the GSW grad landing comfortably on the latter while poor Sylvia was BWUNGED skull-first into the top turnbuckle!
TURNBUCKLE BULLDOG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jMVhvKRQaw
The impact broke Castillo free of the blonde's grasp and she stumbled backward in an obvious fog, the usually confident battler looking undeniably lost as she tried to clear her aching noggin. Back in the corner, Hughes slipped out onto the apron and swiftly climbed into the high rent district. Bolstered by the cheers of the capacity crowd, she raised both hands overhead and led the choir for a few bars while SIC stumbled about oblivious to the looming threat. Eventually the blue-clad battler turned back in the direction of the buckles and Heaven took flight in an effortless arc that saw her twist sideways in mid-descent, the blonde stretching out perpendicular to the canvas to administer her biggest offense ye—Sylvia spotted her incoming and, understanding she didn't have the time to prepare a proper countermeasure, simply moved clear and kept on walking, the brunette shaking her index finger 'no, no, no!' even as Hughes THAWHAMMED down on the empty canvas!
Heaven bounced up like the mat was electrified, the previously ebullient high-flier looking anything but with both arms crisscrossed over her torso in an effort to keep her organs in the right spot. She hadn't been vertical for more than a few seconds when Sylvia stalked up on her six, snatched a double handful of hair and went down on one knee to haul the blonde backward into an awkward bridge that DROVE the point of Castillo's knee between her shoulders! The ensuing jolt should've left Hughes writhing on the canvas, but SIC kept her grip nice and steady as she stood up and forced the Californian to do the same. Soon as that was accomplished she halved her grip, drew back her free (right) arm, then brought it slashing forward to THWHAP Heaven across the base of the skull with a nasty Enzu Lariat!
HAIR-PULL BACKBREAKER & ENZU LARIAT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2arUf6DYjOY
Remaining on her feet while Heaven crashed to the mat in a heap, Castillo set a boot on the nape of her foe's neck and ground down while she made a show of plucking a few flaxen strands from her palms. For a moment it looked like she'd toss them away on the arena's recirculated breeze, however a wicked smirk on the brunette's lips suggested a new course of action. Shifting her boot from Hughes' neck to her ribs, SIC shoveled the blonde onto her back, then bent down and aggressively mashed the collected strands in their owner's face!
“Nasty brat!” Heaven groaned and tried to swat Sylvia's hand away. “Get your skittery little rat-fingers out of my NNNGGGHHH!”
Castillo slapped the blonde's mouth, then grabbed a handful of hair and banged the back of her head against the mat until Hughes settled down enough to be rolled back onto her stomach. Circling around to her foe's feet, Sylvia took an ankle in each hand and pulled Hughes' lower legs into the air. From there she twisted around so her back was to the grounded grappler and braced her heels against Heaven's inner thighs before deftly threading those captured boots between her stems so Hughes' shins were wedged tight against the brunette's calves.
“Locking you up tight, Bikini-Meat Barbie.” SIC sneered as she sank into a crouch and swatted at the blonde's vulnerable flanks. “You going to do anything about it or do you wanna just sit there all sleepy-helpless so the Reddit pervs can build a new GIF set?”
“Yuuhhh... you bitch.” Heaven groaned when Castillo caught hold of her wrists and pulled tight. “You'll be looking at the lights and thousands of new weirdo followers after I beat your AAASSSSSSEEEERRRRHHHHHHH!”
Yanking up on Heaven's wrists, Sylvia rolled onto her back and pushed both legs straight up to stretch Hughes out in a nearly vertical bridge that left the Santa Monica Sweetheart balanced precariously on the crown of her skull! “What was that, blondie?” Castillo taunted over the whines and yelps brought on by her San Juan Romero Stretch. “You want to tap out already? I thought you'd want to moan for the audience a while longer!”
SAN JUAN ROMERO STRETCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=086klgw4OlY
But Heaven’s gone well past moaning, straight to shrieking in agony, her entire body put through the ringer by the ingenious torture of the rookie.
“So dramatic,” Sylvia chuckled. “Never saw this move in the minors, did you?”
Hughes shook her overturned head to an inquiring Merle, but it might as well have been to Castillo. The Mexican’s cruel contraption brought the blonde to the edge of capitulation yet proved unable to push her over the line.
Losing patience with the wailing Sweetheart, SIC released her deviously modified Romero to send Heaven toppling over to her chest, Hughes mewling as she slithered along the canvas, slowly sliding toward the ropes.
The risen Latina smirked as she watched the fruit of her labor, Hughes slinking along the canvas like a slug. The blonde reached the cables and pulled herself to a kneel, leaning heavily against the cables with her pain-racked face pointed to the concerned members of her Choir.
With the present of positioning handed her like a tardy Christmas gift, Sylvia raced at Heaven and leapt into a Double kneestrike to Hughes’ shoulderblades, crushing Heaven beneath. But that’s not all her signature Existential Dread entailed, as Castillo promptly bounced away from the blasted blonde. SIC returned at full speed after a quick trip to the far ropes, CRASHING into the face and chest of the demolished Hughes with a Running Back Elbow to seal the deal!
EXISTENTIAL DREAD @ 00:03
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIYWM0sc2pY
Castillo snatched an ankle of the ragdolled Heaven and tugged her foe cavewoman-style to dead center. The golden-skinned grappler lowered to her victim, cradling the limb as she rolled to a Back Press pin, counting along with her free hand as Merle slapped the canvas for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Greater Good’s go-fer, as SIC pronounced her during pre-match puffery, proved she’s something more by shoving a shoulder up before the official’s hand can reach canvas the final time.
And Castillo was not amused, her features twitching with anger and frustration.
Sylvia pivoted and slapped the remaining taste from the mouth of the babyfaced blonde.
“If you want me to make an example of you, all you needed to do was ask.”
The rampaging Latina wrapped both hands around Heaven’s noggin and yanked the Santa Monica Sweetheart up as she rose. She POUNDED a Toe Kick deep into the tanned tummy of her foe to double Hughes at the waist. SIC underhooked both arms of the stooped Heaven and hauled her limp adversary up and over with a beautiful Butterfly Suplex, pounding the reeling Hughes against the deck.
BUTTERFLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3B55csISd0
The Mexican kipped to her feet and turned to face the arched form of her foe, Heaven reaching for the base of her injured spine. Sylvia collected the GSW import again, wrapping her arms around the flat midriff of the flaxen-haired cherub and vaulting the rubbery blonde over her shoulders with a picture perfect German Suplex.
GERMAN SUPLEX @ 00:36
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3B55csISd0
But to make certain Heaven’s Bad Luck Comes in Threes, Sylvia kipped to her feet again, drawing a mix of boos from the Choir but cheered from those who gave the devil her due.
Sylvia pulled the languishing Hughes into a Front Facelock. SIC threw a limp arm of the Cali girl over her shoulders and grabbed a handful of spandex on her hip, then elevated Heaven so the blonde’s boot soles pointed toward her namesake. And there she HELD the helpless Heaven for long second after second, possibly accumulating a full ten before delivering Hughes to a ring-rattling heap with a vertebrae-testing Vertical Suplex.
VERTICAL SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bRPVz-Bs0Q
SIC bounced to her feet one last time and placed a boot on the softly rolling chest of the starfished Heaven, the Choir loudly jeering the arrogant pin from the rookie. Haughty or naughty, the victory stance was good enough with Hughes in her wretched condition for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Sweetheart drew a hopeful cheer from her fans as she weakly edged a shoulder off the canvas in time. But it seemed likely false hope as Sylvia rolled to a kneeling forward straddle of Hughes’ waist, pulled Heaven’s braincase off the canvas with a handful of golden locks and THUMPED away with closed fists, disregarding Merle for the full four seconds before she disdainfully let Heaven’s head fall to the deck.
“You really want to make this my showcase moving into ’24, don’t you? Who says all you beach girls are selfish trash?”
Dismounting the punch-drunk Hughes, Sylvia hauled a vacant Heaven to her feet by a wrist and shoulder grip. SIC lifted the captured left arm and dipped under, twisting the limb as she does. Castillo slipped behind her adversary, creating a Hammerlock grip in the process. Grabbing the fan favorite’s opposite wrist, the Latina tossed that limb across her shoulders in preparation for a roll forward.
With both women on their backsides, Sylvia lifted and wrapped her near leg behind Heaven’s neck with her Hammerlock still in place, securing the SIC Bitch on her knotted, fading foe.
SIC Bitch:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLB3bObufkc
Stressing both her opponent’s left arm and neck with the Octopus Stretch, the snarling Mexican demanded Merle give the blonde fair warning she might snap either or both given the time.
Instead, the official translated the threat to a simple “Do you wanna give, Heaven?”
Hughes wasn't able to nod and the only noises from the blonde were grunts and moans.
Stuck in the Latina’s trap, Heaven strained against the snare, slowly but surely fidgeting enough to shift Castillo onto her shoulders, Sylvia’s ass pointed to the rafters, but with SIC refusing to break the submission through…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Sylvia released her ‘Bitch’ to escape the loss, scurrying away to one knee and sent a worried look toward the referee, then breathing a sigh of relief when she saw two fingers raised.
With Heaven up to one knee, the dark eyes of the combatants meet. Castillo turned to the ropes behind her to rebound and gain more momentum for her charge, expecting the spent blonde to be in the same position when she returned. But Hughes dug deep and sprinted after her foe, surprising SIC just as the Mexican U-turned.
Catching the raven-haired grappler in the cables, Heaven leapt and landed her derriere on the middle strand while her right arm wrapped around Castillo’s clavicle. Using gravity as her guide, the Santa Monica Sweetheart laid out from the springboard effect added to her Reverse STO and DROVE Sylvia’s face into the thinly-covered floorboards with a game changing Fall From Heaven!
FALL FROM HEAVEN @ 1:01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgoV77bmJc
The rejuvenated Hughes, adrenaline pumping, pounced atop the rookie in a reverse-facing straddle of the Latina’s waist. She hooked a limp leg and leaned back, lying on the splayed Castillo to claim her comeback win with the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
SIC showed her mettle, shoving Hughes off balance, and kicking loose from the pinning predicament.
Heaven, pushed to verticality by her foe, stumbled to the ropes and gathered her bearings, allowing Sylvia to rise if unsteadily.
The blonde attacked, pulling a stooped Castillo into a Front Facelock, tossing a limp arm across her shoulders, and hooking a raised leg, leaving a wobbly Sylvia on a single kickstand.
Digging deep into her reserves, Heaven hoisted Sylvia up and over with her Golden Gate Swing, a twisting Fisherman’s Suplex that sent the Mexican SMACKING against the deck.
GOLDEN GATE SWING:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGLGZVR16AM
Cradle pin in place after the harsh impact, Heaven waited for the slaps signifying her biggest win and Merle obliged with the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Castillo SLAPPED Hughes' taut tummy as hard as she could to break the blonde's bridge with half a heartbeat to spare! Heaven rolled to her knees and raked curled fingers through her hair, the Choirmaster unable to hide the frustration stamped across her face. A groan from Sylvia brought Heaven back to herself and frustration gave way to determination as she helped herself to the brunette's ponytail.
“All right, so you can do more than talk a big game, I'll give you that. But that whiny little grunt I just heard tells me you've come to understand that I can do a whole lot more that just soak up your offNGH!”
Castillo delivered a tart slap across the Californian's mouth, the force of it more surprising than painful given the other wrestler's stunned state. “Thuuuuhhhh... that's right, Hughes.” she huffed. “You can also whine like a bitch when I tie you in OOOOFFFFHHH!”
Heaven THWHUMPED a Broadside Kneelift across Sylvia's tummy with extreme prejudice, then lowered a shoulder and slipped that arm through the brunette's thighs so she could 'hup' her up in a brawny little Fireman's Carry! With her right arm looped across SIC's thigh and her left hand cupping the back of her head, Hughes went through a few Airplane Spin rotations for good measure before she shot up on tiptoes and dropped to her knees in a short but emphatic fall that THUMPED Castillo's already roiling gut across the back of the blonde's neck!
KNEELING GUTBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvgs7RFYonE
Sylvia produced an awful sound from deep inside that suggested Heaven would be wise to create some separation, yet rather than toss her burden away she got to her feet and rushed forward just to drop into a nimble somersault that PLANTED Sylvia's spine flush against the thinly-sheathed plywood.
FINLAY ROLL:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RljNMee_l0
Now the blonde disengaged, Hughes abandoning her hooks to leave Castillo flat on the deck while she bounced to verticality within easy reach of the ropes. Taking hold of the top in both hands, she hopped into an effortless perch on the middle strand and vaulted toward her target, Heaven twisting 'round and tumbling forward to THAWHUMP down across her opponent's midsection in a beautiful Springboard Corkscrew Senton!
SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW SENTON:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=US3PrkaLm8g
The Heavenly Choir positively sang for their leader to go for a cover, but Heaven had something far more vindictive on her mind. Scooting around so she was by the brunette's feet, she seized hold of Castillo's left ankle and got to her feet so she could use the grip to flip the other lightweight onto her stomach. In the next breath she twisted around and planted her left foot between SIC's stems, then helped herself to the right ankle and tucked it into the pit of Sylvia's left knee. Sylvia's left ankle was then stuffed against the pit of Hughes' left knee, those lissome legs caught in a threatening knot that grew all the more dangerous when Heaven snapped back in a truly gorgeous bridge and laced her hands across Castillo's chin. Crown of her skull planted firmly between Sylvia's shoulders, Hughes YANKED up on her grip to earn a loud wail of anguish from her trapped adversary!
MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJqOZezGP88
“AAAAARRRRHHHHH FAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Sylvia pushed up on her elbows and scrabble-scraped at Hughes wrists only to send her right hand back in search of the blonde's hair after only a few seconds of torment. She would've been able to grab some hair or wrap that arm around Heaven's noggin if the GSW transfer had set her head against the canvas proper, but with Heaven using Castillo's own body as her base the writhing ruda couldn't secure a viable grip.
“Ask her!” Hughes called to Merle after ten seconds of Divine Punishment didn't secure a surrender from her rival. “Whadda ya say, huh big-mouth? Ready for this to all be over?”
“Rrrrgghhh... you gotta be kidding me.” Castillo had stopped wasting energy on the blonde's hair and was instead focused on dragging the both of them into the ropes. “You think I'm going to submit because you've learned baby's first submission hold? No wonder O'Neal barely lets you carry her bagHHHHRRRHHHHHH!”
Hughes jounced the Muta Lock that much harder while puuuuuuuuuuuuuuulling up on SIC's chin hard enough to wrench her svelte frame into a gawdawful arch!
“Tell me something, Sylvia!” Merle asked as the FAWNatics began to chant 'TAP! TAP! TAP!' “Do I call it? Just say the word and I'll--”
“No!” Castillo waved a desperate index finger to confirm her refusal. “No, I won't tap—OOOHHH HAIR! HAIR!”
SIC shrieked like a banshee, the pitch and volume jolting Merle into shifting around to search for the infraction. In so doing he was unfortunately out of position and didn't see Sylvia grab hold of the Californian's wrists and jerk them up so Hughes' palm was snug against her mou—“OOOOOOOWWWWW DAMMIT!”
Heaven broke her grip and scrambled away to shake the sting from her nibbled hand before she fully realized what'd happened! But ignorance soon gave way to understanding and anger, and Hughes stormed back to Sylvia to catch a double handful of the brunette's ponytail.
“Tacky slut!” Castillo hissed as she was hair-hauled to verticality. “Get your hands off NNNGGGGHHH!”
A delighted 'oooooooohhhhhh!' from the capacity crowd when Heaven spun her rival 'round in a half circle and CRAAACKED her across the mouth with a huge Bitch Slap!
“Bite me again and you'll get more!” Hughes barked at the stunned grappler. Castillo offered nothing more than a scandalized grunt in response, so the Santa Monica Sweetheart traded the hair-hold for an equally stern grip on the scruff of Syl's neck. Pivoting toward the ropes on the far side of the squared circle, she took off at a run with Castillo trailing along beside. No slowing down for Hughes as they ran out of runway, indeed she put on a final burst of speed and leapt onto the top rope for a truly high flying Springboard Arm Dr—SIC lashed out with her right foot and kicked the rubber-coated steel just as Heaven reached her perch! The resultant jolt caused the blonde to lose her balance and she dropped like a rock, Hughes THWHUMPING down hard on the back of her head and shoulders!
Heaven flopped backward on impact and landed flat on her belly, where she probably would've remained for a good long while if Castillo hadn't buried her hands in the Californian's locks and dragged her up on wobbly legs. Hands locked snug across her foe's chin, Sylvia twisted around so they were almost back to back, but in this instance Hughes' neck was snugged against the Mexican's bicep instead of the point of her shoulder. This quickly proved a distinction without a difference as SIC went down on one knee and tore Heaven off her feet to THWHUNK the base of her skull against that posted joint!
NECKBREAKER ON KNEE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8-Hlhz_SNY
Hughes bounced to a seat with one arm absently cradling the back of her head, a protection that was summarily swatted aside by the incensed brunette. Making a point to grip Hughes' ears rather than her hair, Castillo gave them both a sharp twist when she hauled Heaven off the mat and drew her into a Front Facelock. Hughes looked to be little better than dead-weight at the moment, not that you would've known it by the urgency of of Sylvia's movements. Soon as the Facelock was secure she slung the blonde's near arm across her shoulders and snatched a handful of waistband just above the Choirmaster's left hip. Immediately thereafter she bent her knees and popped her hips, SIC taking Heaven up and over with the swiftness of a Snap Suplex, but rather than fall back she dropped straight down, the malicious newcomer SPIKING Heaven's skull into the canvas in the blink of an eye!
IMPENDING DOOM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoAGL_Fo2o
Reduced to glassy-eyed furniture in the wake of this awful Impending Doom, Heaven paid no notice when Sylvia swung around and settled into a domineering Schoolgirl Pin that wedged the point of Hughes' chin against the fork of Castillo's crotch. And even that wasn't enough for the spiteful beauty as she pressed her palms down on Heaven's face to ensure she saw nothing but gloom while Merle and the FAWNatics counted...
ONE...
TWO...
THREE!
The bell clanged things to a close and though Sylvia nodded in satisfaction, she made no attempt to leave her seat, choosing instead to undo, then redo, her ponytail while the Announcer confirmed, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall... SYLVIA IVELISSE CASTILLO!”
“Enjoy hearing my name with such clarity while you can, bitch.” Syl snarked down at the insensate blonde. “It'll only grow more faint as I rise through the ranks and you descend to the depths of house show purgatory.” She paused, tilted her head to one side, then reached down and booped the tip of Hughes' nose with an index finger. “Of course, I suppose I could offer you a lingering reminder of your one brush with greatness.”
Heaven offered no opposition to this suggestion, so Sylvia pressed her right palm to the blonde's left and pulled that arm into the air in an involuntary Knucklelock. Appraising Heaven's forearm with seeming ambivalence, Castillo gripped her adversary's elbow with her free hand, then earned a surprised murmur from the crowd when she leaned forward and delivered a gentle kiss to the Californian's wrist. Dark eyes flickering to Hughes' face, Sylvia murmured, “Don't EVER tell me what to do.” With that she leaned in and bit down HARD on the defenseless meat of Heaven's forearm!
“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH GAAAAAAAAAHHHD!” Heaven awoke with a shriek and a jolt, the confused battler trying to pull away from Castillo's jaws with no success. “STOPPIT YOU FUCKING PSYCHO!” Hughes flattened her right hand into a paddle and slapped at the brunette's head and shoulders as hard as she could. “STOP BITING MEEEEE-AAAARRRRHHHHHHHHHH!”
Castillo switched over to the soft spot beneath Hughes' thumb, then to just above her elbow, the newcomer leaving hateful red crescents in her wake!
The movable feast might've had several more courses if Merle hadn't hurried over and shouted, “Enough of that right now, Sylvia! Or I'll reverse the result on the spot!”
SIC snorted, tossed the gnawed limb aside and got to her feet while a furious, teary-eyed Heaven rolled onto her side and curled into a loose ball around her wounded arm. Above her, Sylvia offered her left wrist to the official, demanding that he raise her hand while she lifted her right foot and set it atop Hughes' twitching hip. Castillo felt a shudder of hatred pass through the blonde at her touch and she happily stoked it by grinding the toe of her boot back and forth while taunting the crowd with a sturdy bicep flex.
This pose proved triply valuable in that it earned 'pic of the night' honors from FAWN.com, got Sylvia her first full page shot in Gladiatrix and provided Heaven Hughes with some of the strongest bulletin board motivation she'd ever encountered. That was all later though. For now the blonde could only grimace while the brunette gloated and took another step toward the top of the Lightweight ranks.