Post by alyadmirer on Jan 14, 2016 0:12:45 GMT
Only a few presents remained under the tree that was Season’s Beatings, yet the FAWNatics proved as enthusiastic as ever when the Announcer stepped into the spotlight. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the FAWN Lightweight Championship! Introducing first, she is the challenger, hailing from Nottingham England in the United Kingdom, she stands at five feet four inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and ten pounds, she is the Golden Girl, the Little Sparrow… SAMMIE SINCLAIR!”
SAMMIE SINCLAIR:
As good natured as any faction of fans in the promotion’s history, Sammie’s supporters went crazy with delight the instant their heroine appeared on the stage. Tiny but fierce, Sammie Sinclair was every inch the People’s Princess as she cheered back, shimmering in her golden/yellow attire and blushing openly with her dimple, freckled cheeks flushing a delightful crimson. For her last pay-per-view appearance of the year she sported her usual golden sports bra and now standard matching skirt, the latter featuring a generous slit running up the right side. Her boots were similarly altered, still bright blue and reaching upwards to just beneath her kneecaps, they were now tanned from firm leather and sported lacing right up the front.
Busting out a taut little spiral in the center of the stage, the Golden Girl finished with her feet apart and kept her fingers wiggling heavenwards, nodding to her followers with a confident grin and, just before she led them in her usual declaration of intent, she paused for a few moments longer. The Upstart Legions didn’t need any more prompting, they simply cupped their hands to their mouths and roared, ‘ONE! TWO! THREE!’
Sammie pointed a jaunty index finger toward the squared circle at the exact moment that a hearty explosion of pyrokenetics erupted to either side of the stage. Samantha Sinclair was here and, with a joy induced skip she headed down the aisle at a swift sprint, the second generation superstar with chocolate curls bouncing free about her slender shoulders now a little older, a little wiser and, after the last year was now not only of Championship Pedigree, she was of proven Championship Quality. The girl was now a young woman, and she was looking all the bolder for it.
Fearless? Perhaps not, the Little Sparrow would be the first to admit to her short fallings, but nerve?
She most defiantly had nerve.
The moment Sinclair reached the squared circle, she took a short detour right ways and, much to the delight of those who found themselves closet, Sammie began clapping every outstretched hand that she discovered, paying particular attention to the youngest in attendance. Beating a fast track around the ring, she soon found herself back at start, a run, skip and jump taking her clean up onto the apron. Grasping the top coil with both her paws, the Bright Eyed Wonder leaned back and, following a cheeky shake her pert buttocks, she shot right over the top rope with an applause worthy somersault.
Landing lightly on her feet and clapping once more, she paused only to offer her wrists and knees to senior referee Nick Castle. Once he was satisfied with her lack of foreign objects, the Little Sparrow jogged to the far corner and hopped into a seat on the top turnbuckle, a perfect vantage point to scout the approach of tonight’s adversary.
The sold out crowd was still giving its love to Sammie when the Announcer raised his mic and said, “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Stovington, Vermont, she stands at five feet two inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and ten pounds! She is the Star Strider and the FAWN Lightweight Champion… LILY BURLINGAME!”
Eager to train their attention on the brightest star in FAWN’s Lightweight galaxy, the Star Striders sprang up and cheered uproariously out when the lights went down. From within that swirling, anticipatory gloom came a thumping drum and a matched set of snapping fingers, the two bits of percussion bouncing to and fro in a rat-a-tat riff. A keening guitar note joined the beat and a few seconds later the situation got brighter in no small part due to the tongue of flame that licked at the base of the ramp. As the note held steady, the fire set off on a beeline for the top of the ramp.
The wick shrank in time with the arrival of more guitars and an Earth-shattering KA-BOOM of red pyro that almost swallowed the first verse of ’Comeback Kid’. From the center of this flash and flame a figure emerged, shooting up from the floor to land flawlessly before the capacity crowd.
LILY BURLINGAME:
Launching herself from that brand spankin‘ new crater, Lily Burlingame pumped a fist for the crowd, then smacked the belt snapped around her waist and flew down the ramp in a blur of black, red and white. For tonight’s showdown with one of the most beloved lightweights of the last ten years, she wore gleaming black bottoms accented by swirling galaxies of stars done in red and white. Her top was halter-style sports bra done in an identical scheme, the red and white seeming to shimmer and twine with her every move. Kneepads were matching black and also sported the galaxy motif, white on the left and red on the right. Her hair, though free of the mask, was still pulled back in a long, sweeping ponytail.
More than eager to tangle with the woman waiting on her in the ring, the Girl That Gravity Forgot tore down the ramp then leapt from the floor to the apron to the top rope in the span between heartbeats. Bouncing from it as casually as the terminally grounded stepped off the curb, Lily hooked a sharp turn to the left, hit the adjoining set of strands and went soaring into a gorgeous back flip that set her back in the center of the ring. Then she was off again, the Meteor Mite rounding on one heel to sprint to the far side of the squared circle. At the ropes in an instant, she caught the top and middle in both hands, leapt and twirled over the third strand in a Tiger Feint Kick that ’swicked’ through the air.
Back in the ring a heartbeat later, the youngest Burlingame sister strode to the middle of the ring and undid the belt. Holding it level with one shoulder, she thumbed an invisible detonator in the other hand and raised her gold to correspond to the thunderous ‘BOOOOOOOM!’ from her fans. She let Castle check her boots and pads before hanging the belt over his shoulder. Almost ready, she turned her attention to Sammie even as she backed toward the opposite corner. “You and me, Sparrow.” she grinned. “Hope you’re ready to fly higher than you’ve ever flown before.”
The arena grew even louder after the bell sounded as fans of the Upstart Leader and the Star Strider (which meant just about everyone in attendance) offered a rousing cheer in support of their favorite. Pleased but not distracted by this thunderous reaction, champion and challenger strode from their corners to meet in a handshake at the center of the ring. “Been looking forward to this for a long time, Lily.” the People’s Princess said. “I always thought Cherry Bomb would make a great Upstart.”
“She would’ve.” Burlingame agreed with a smile. “But Cherry only won the Lightweight title. Lily’s the one who’s defended it for nine months… and she’s looking to make it ten.”
Sinclair gave her a competitive smile and broke the handshake. “Your run’s been a good thing for the Lightweight Division, Lily. And you know what they say about good things.”
Lily backed off, raised her hands to shoulder level and started to circle. Sammie did the same. “Yeah, I do. Someone’s gonna beat me one of these days. But it won’t be you, Golden Girl.”
“We’ll see about that.” Sinclair sprang forward, got an arm hooked under her own and went tumbling across the canvas when Lily laid out on her side. More acrobatics than offense, the Arm Drag put some distance between the brunettes without keeping Sammie down for more than a second. Even so, Burlingame was practically on top of her by the time the Upstart righted herself and it was only the Englishwoman’s own impressive agility that let her toss the champ with an Arm Drag of her own. Lily skidded a short distance on one hip, popped to her feet and rounded on the--OHHHHH!
A charging Sammie leapt and planted her feet against the sturdy planks of Burlingame’s thighs. Locking her hands across the base of the American’s skull, Sinclair tucked in and laid out on her back to hurl Lily up, over and down with a flawless Monkey Fl--OHHHHH! Burlingame adjusted in mid-air to land on her feet with a crisp little ‘thump’. Caught at a momentary disadvantage, Sammie kipped to verticality and would’ve rounded on the champ if Lily hadn’t wrapped her up in a tight Waistlock. “Gold’s on the line tonight, Sammie.” Burlingame muttered as she dug the knot of her fists into the Brit’s trim tummy. “Don’t forget that for an insTUUFFH!”
Bearing down on Lily’s wrists, Sinclair squeezed hard enough to loosen the Waistlock but not break it. So she pulled her hips forward and thrust them back into the pit of her foe’s stomach. The Star Strider’s grip slipped some more, giving Sinclair all the freedom she needed raise her right hand high and flip to side in a gorgeous springy cartwheel that… Lily mirrored while keeping one arm wrapped around the other brunette’s waist. She doubled down on the Waistlock as soon as they returned to the canvas, in fact the champ pulled up and leeeeeeeaaaaaned back just enough to lift Sinclair’s feet off the ground.
“Your trunks are all the gold you need, Sammie.” Lily huffed as the surprisingly brawny Reverse Bear Hug squeezed the air from her rival. “You’re not gonna get mine NNGGH!”
Sammie tagged the American with a quick Back Elbow to the side of the head. That set her back on the floor in a considerably looser Waistlock and Sammie capitalized by twisting free of Burlingame’s grasp. More to the point, she laid claim to Lily’s left wrist and pinned it up behind her back in a Hammerlock. Sinclair dug her chin into the hollow of Lily’s left shoulder, all the better to keep the trapped arm immobilized and to add a little more pain to the predicament.
“That belt around your waist was mine once, Lily.” the former champion murmured in the current champion’s ear. “I defended it as doggedly and valiantly as you have. I mean to defend it again and if it means putting you down for three then that’s exactly what I’m going to WHOAAAH!”
Burlingame crooked her free arm around the back of Sinclair’s head, then pulled her forward and dropped down to toss the Englishwoman away with an improvised Snapmare. Or at least that was the plan originally. Sammie threw a wrench into it when she maintained the Hammerlock through all the tumbling. Stretched out on her side now, Burlingame grunted with irritation when the Little Sparrow scissored her left thigh and locked her ankles to trap it in a Single Leg Grapevine. “Wanna give it up, Lil’?” Sinclair chirped after a pair of constrictions on her simple yet binding holds. “Give up whenever you’re ready to hand over the title.”
Lily shook her head ‘no’ more for the referee than her adversary. “Would YOU have given it up to a Hammerlock, Sammie?” She punctuated this by driving a hard little fist into the meat of her attacker’s right thigh.
Sinclair grimaced at the strike, but nodded understanding at the champ’s other response. “Of course not. And I suppose you won’t either. Which means I have to find another way.” Ready, willing and able to do exactly that, Sammie used the Hammerlock / Grapevine combination to roll Burlingame over onto her tummy. Relinquishing gam control so she could mount the American’s back, the Golden Girl did the same for the Hammerlock after one more brisk yank. The resultant yelp from Lily gave her rival more than enough time to grab hold of her biceps and yank them off the mat. These were promptly threaded over Sammie’s thighs, leaving the challenger’s hands free to cradle Burlingame’s chin.
Camel Clutch in the center of the ring, Samantha Sinclair to Lily Burlingame.
Sammie might’ve been a lightweight but she worked the hold with the patience and power of a Destroyer, really sinking her tush into the small of Lily’s back while she reefed up on that captured chin. “What do you say, Lily?” Nick Castle asked following ten seconds or so of this spine-wrenching abuse. “Wanna give up?”
“Of course she doesn’t want to give up.” Sammie answered for her. “But sometimes a champion isn’t given a choice.” she proved it by craaaaaaaaaaanking Burlingame’s head back that much farther.
“Yuuuuuuhhh… you don’t stop this match… unless I pass out, Castle. And even then you better check my damned hand three times.” Lily had a remarkable amount of steel in her voice for someone speaking through clenched teeth.
Sinclair appreciated the American’s tone, after all, she’d heard it in her own voice every time someone tried to wrest the Lightweight Strap from her grasp. And yet the Golden Girl didn’t hesitate to bounce her pert little bum against Burlingame’s back to make the Clutch that much more intolerable. “Go on and give up, Lily.” she chided. “None of these people want to see you hurt.”
“Do you want to see me hurt, Sammie?” Burlingame was squirming and twisting, trying to slide her arms loose with no visible success.
“Not at all.” Sinclair answered emphatically. “But I will bring tears to your eyes if it means putting that belt around my waist agNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Lily pulled her right arm off the other brunette’s thigh and promptly drilled an elbow into Sinclair’s right knee. The silver bolt that ran from ankle to thigh broke Sammie’s hold on Lily’s chin, bringing instant relief to her taut back. While ‘pinned beneath a motivated challenger’ was hardly an advantageous position for any champion, Burlingame made no attempt to slide out once her head was her own again. Rather she rolled onto her back, cupped a hand against the back of Sammie’s noggin and pulled her down into a trio of PAAAKING Forearm Smashes. Sinclair ‘oofffhhhed’, started to pull away and was drawn down into a sturdy Front Facelock. Things grew more troublesome for the challenger when Lily kicked her legs up, threaded them around the Englishwoman’s hips and locked her ankles.
“UUUNNNNGGGGGHHHH!” Sammie let loose a breathy groan as the Guillotine Choke put nasty pressure on her neck and ribs.
“Kinda thought we’d be running the ropes a lot more, Sammie.” Lily remarked after a long squeeze. “But if it’s a mat wrestling lesson you’re after, I’m happy to provide.”
If the Guillotine had been applied incorrectly Sinclair might’ve dared waste oxygen on a verbal response. Unfortunately it was locked in perfectly, meaning that her window of escape was too small to bother with words. Planting her left hand flat against the mat, Sammie curled her right into a fist and pounded it into the champion’s ribs half a dozen times in rapid succession. Lily grimaced and shook her head ‘no’ but that was about it. Sammie didn’t need to see her foe’s face to know Burlingame wasn’t going to be deterred so easily. Head already starting to swim, the Little Sparrow pounded shots into her attacker’s biceps for a few seconds, just to make sure it wouldn’t get her anywhere. When it didn’t she gripped Lily’s shoulders in each hand and bore down tight. Now Burlingame did grimace. The claws weren’t enough to make her relinquish the Guillotine, yet they were impossible to ignore so she punished the Englishwoman with a long constriction of her Scissors. Sammie moaned and seemed to shrink a little as the muscles in Lily’s gams shredded into sharp relief under the overhead lights.
Already honed in on her distress, Castle dropped to one knee to check. “You ok, Sammie? If you think you’re about to black out, let me know and I’ll get you outta there.”
“NO!” Sinclair squeaked. “I’ve got this!”
Lily smiled in spite of the tines digging into her shoulders. “You sure about that, Sammie? You’re hooked in pretty deep, girl WHOOOAAAHHH!”
That was true of course, but in linking the challenger to herself Burlingame linked herself to the challenger, meaning she was pulled into a near seat when the struggling challenger reared back on her knees. Knowing full well she was taking a calculated risk, Sammie pushed up a little bit more, then threw herself forward and down to THWHUMP Burlingame against the mat. The landing also BWONKED the crown of her skull in a sort of self inflicted DDT, yet the Golden Girl dubbed the ache worth it because her noggin popped loose of the champion’s crushing Facelock. She didn’t dare take a moment to enjoy her freedom though, not with Lily far too close for comfort. To remedy that situation the British brunette stuffed the heel of her left palm against Lily’s chest, not to pin her down, but to keep her in place while she pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED a stiff series of Forearm Smashes across her opponent’s collarbone. After a full baker’s dozen she gripped Lily’s shoulders, pressed down and leaned forward as best she could. A quick check from the ref led to…
ONE…
TWO…
“AAAUUUGGGGHHH!” Sinclair gave up on the cover when Lily squeezed the Scissors hard enough to grind her ribs. “Give it up, Sammie.” Burlingame was propped up on her elbows, patient and cool as her thighs did the heavy lifting. “You might be able to fly as fast as me but down here I’ll own you all day OOOFFFFHHHH!”
Sammie THUMPED her navel with a Double Axehandle, then gouged her elbows into the sides of the champ’s knees until she was able to wriggle free. Practically forehead to forehead as they started to rise, champ and challenger never made it past a deep crouch because the latter wrapped up the former with an Inside Cradle that rolled her up in a squirmy little ball! Still in place beside them, Nick counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
Lily popped loose and twisted onto her belly, not that it did her much good because Sinclair immediately caught her in a retaliatory Front Facelock. Things went from bad to worse when Sammie pushed to her knees and somersaulted forward, transforming the simple hold into a neck-wrenching, spine straining Muta Lock!
INSIDE CRADLE TO MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvLC9aT3Ho
“Tap out, Lil!” Sinclair demanded as she reefed up on the other woman’s chin. “Or do you want me to stretch you a little more?”
Burlingame didn’t want that at all, she was however, willing to endure the hurt for as long as it took if it meant keeping the title around her waist. If it’d been a traditional Muta Lock in the middle of the ring she would’ve been in serious trouble, but the swiftness of Sinclair’s application meant the American’s legs remained untangled. Pushing up on her hands, the Interstellar Angel slid back ‘til she was on all fours, which in turn forced Sammie’s bridge higher and relieved the pressure on her neck (without actually breaking the challenger’s grip though).”Nice transition, Sammie.” Lily grunted as she gripped the other brunette’s encroaching hands. “But it’s not enough to take my UUUNNNGGGGGHHHH!”
Sammie let loose of the Chinlock just long enough to twist around so that she was facing the penitent battler’s back. Then she reapplied stronger than ever and treated Burlingame to a bit of payback by hopping up and lacing her legs around the startled lovely’s waist. Ankles locked, she angled her gams down between Lily’s planted legs and craaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Chinlock. Soaking up the hurt from what was essentially a Scissored Camel Clutch, Lily powered to boot leather before trying to prize the Englishwoman’s hands from her jaw.
SCISSORED CAMEL CLUTCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IWWGgOS_vs
“Nope!” Sammie chirped with obvious happiness even as she wrenched her foe’s head back n’ forth. “You want out? Wrestle out! Or tap! I’d be fine with that too.”
“Nnnnnnnngggghh!” the Star Strider grunted to Nick in obvious opposition to Sammie’s suggestion.” A few seconds of fiddling with Sinclair’s hands told Burlingame that wasn’t going to get the job done and pushing / punching at her thighs earned a whole lotta nothing as well. Resigned to a galling admission, Burlingame gathered her strength and started stamping toward the edge of the ring. “Oh c’mon, the ROPES?” the Golden Girl huffed. “I thought we were having a wrestling match here! Now you might as well go ahead and tell everyone you’re not clever enough to find a way out of WHOOOAAAAAHHHNNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Lily went from stamping stagger to brisk lope in the blink of an eye. Didn’t head to the ropes either. Instead she veered to the right and spun around at the last second to BWUUUUNG her opponent’s spine into the turnbuckles. Sammie’s legs popped open and the Chinlock loosened to near nothingness, for which the champion was quite glad. Of course the Tiny Sparrow was still far too close for her liking, so Burlingame reached back and grabbed a shameless double handful of Brit locks. Then she took a giant step forward, dropped into a quick split and sent Sinclair tumbling across the canvas with a Snapmare!
SPLIT LEGGED SNAPMARE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG0VqZ_fyCY
Sammie stopped a few feet shy of the opposite corner, hurried to her feet and BWUUUUUNG! A hard-charging Lily took to the skies with a Dropkick that hit her foe’s chest hard enough to bounce the back of her head against the top buckle. Knocked woozy by the whiplash blow, a rubber-kneed Sinclair stumbled out of the corner oblivious to the threat racing in from her left. Said threat became much more well-defined when Lily sprang up and ‘smecked’ her legs around the challenger’s head. Then she locked her ankles and torqued her hips to land on her tummy while poor Sammie was THWONKED down on the crown of her skull. Sinclair jolted like she’d eaten a DDT, held the pose for a split-second and collapsed onto her tummy.
SPIKE 'RANA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KNnIg-5AwA
She’d just started to rub at her achin’ noggin when Burlingame shot a Half Nelson and shoveled her onto her back. Quite glad to be back on top of these predicaments, Burlingame hooked the far leg and pulled Sammie’s knee up to her chest while Castle counted…
ONE…
TWO…
Sammie shot a shoulder off the mat, saving her golden aspirations with a good second to spare. Lily checked the count with Nick but didn’t argue when he only showed two. “Gonna keep you on the mat, Sammie.” Burlingame muttered to the stunned Englishwoman. “Stretch ya out, tie ya in knots. Title’s mine and it’s gonna stay that way for a long time.” She added some credence to this proclamation by taking hold of the challenger’s left ankle and draaaaagging her to the middle of the squared circle. From there Lily stuffed Sammie’s shin under her right armpit and braced her left hand against the Briton’s knee, all the better to flip her onto her tummy. But instead of stepping over and dropping into a crouch atop her foe’s back, Burlingame angled her right leg around the side of Sinclair’s exposed knee and dropped to a seat. In the next instant she tucked her right foot into the pit of Sammie’s right knee and CRANKED backward to transform the Half Crab into what was essentially a Kneebar.
KNEE BEND LEGLOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eopuSlz8ZpE
The Golden Girl sat bolt upright and shrieked, both hands flying for the knee stretched by the dense meat of her attacker’s right thigh. Shaking her head ‘no’ before Castle could even get the words out of his mouth, Sammie balled her hands into fists and started smashing away at the champion’s gam. “LET GO, LILY!”
Burlingame grimaced at the impacts but showed no signs of relinquishing her grip. “Give up and I will, Sammie. Or reach the ropes. That’s the only way you’re getting out of--”
Sinclair pounded a harder punch into the brunette’s thigh to cut her off with a yip. She thought the steel band gouging at her knee loosened the tiniest bit, unfortunately she didn’t get a chance to deliver another blow before the Star Strider stretched out flat on her back to apply even more pressure. Pulling at her own hair now, the challenger did her best to balance on her left hip if only to keep a shoulder off the mat.
Over on the other end of pain spectrum, Lily was both impressed and annoyed by the other brunette’s resistance. “Don’t just lay there and suffer, Sammie.” she said after another strong tug / stretch combination. “Either get out or submit. I’m not gonna have you leaving this ring on crutches because you were too stubborn to admit you’d lost.”
Sammie grit her teeth, shook her head ‘no’. “So you want a jailbreak, Lily? All right, I’ll give ya one.” Swiveling to the right as far as she could manage, the grounded Sparrow dug her fingers into the mat and set off on a journey that took almost a minute. In the real world that time would tick off the clock in about sixty seconds but in a wrestling ring seconds have a way of feeling like hours for a girl enduring athletically sanctioned leg torture. Sinclair stopped more than once, her forehead pressed against the rough canvas while she dug a little deeper into her reserves. That toughness combined with a steadily increasing roar from the crowd kept Sammie moving until her straining right hand managed to snatch the bottom rope in a death grip. “BREAK!” she demanded over the roar of the crowd. “BREAK IT, LILY!”
Give the champ credit, she did as bade without waiting for Nick to repeat the order. Hands raised to her shoulders to prove a clean break, Burlingame backed off to mid-ring where she ‘flicked’ her trunks into place and took in several deep breaths. Sammie did the same, though hers were taken much closer to the ground, as she was balled up and massaging the assaulted joint. “How does your knee feel, Sammie?” the ref asked a few seconds after the break. “Can it support your weight? If it can’t I’ll have to call the match.”
The Little Sparrow muttered a negation, sat up and kept rubbing her knee. “I can stand on it. That means I can continue. I appreciate the concern, Nick. But I’ll be fine.”
The look on Castle’s face told her she sure as hell didn’t *look* fine, but when Sinclair got to her feet a moment later she only used the ropes once.
“There might as well be a bulls eye on that knee now, Sammie.” Lily said without malice. “Every time I get a hold of it you’re going to get a little slower. Give up now before it turns into something an ice pack won’t heal.”
Sammie pushed off the ropes by a step or two. “You’re not gonna talk your way into a win, Burlingame. You want to retain the title? Pin me or make me submit. If you can.”
Lily scowled, came forward and promptly put on the brakes to intercept the Toe Kick aimed at her gut. “Kicking with your bad leg?” she asked the hopping Briton. “That’s a rookie mistake, Sincl--” Apparently not, as the Golden Girl leapt off her strong plant leg and whipped an Enzugiri at the side of her opponent’s temple. Quick as it was, the Interstellar Angel proved the tiniest bit quicker, as she dropped into a crouch a heartbeat prior to having her noggin rattled. Down on her hands with her bad leg in the American’s possession, Sammie pushed off again, twisted in mid-air and THWHUMPED a one-legged Mule Kick into her attacker’s chest. Lily went down on her butt, popped back up and was immediately greeted by a short running Clothesline that struck her flush across the chest. Grinning at the sound of her foe hitting the mat, Sinclair wheeled around sharply (while making sure to keep as much weight off her bum leg as possible) then raced back and flattened the Star Strider with a second Clothesline as soon as she got vertical.
“C’MON ORLANDO!” Sammie shouted for their support and got it back a hundredfold from her fans and quite a few of Lily’s. As for the champ, she was a bit slower to rise this time but still made it to her feet in short order, not that it did a damned thing to slow Sammie’s momentum when she charged a third time. Taking to skies like she’d never heard of a tweaked knee, the former Lightweight Champion leaned back and THWHAPPED the current Lightweight Champion across the sternum with a perfect Leg Lariat.
SPARROW'S COMEBACK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGQwEASphk
Lily stayed down in the wake of the Lariat, which was all the motive Sammie needed to pounce atop her chest in a Crossbody. Gripping the other brunette’s left wrist in both hands, the Golden Girl pressed the advantage for…
ONE…
TWO…
Burlingame wrenched loose and pushed her rival away. Sinclair grimaced as her bad knee bounced against the mat, then shook it off and stomped into Lily’s personal space as she was starting to rise. Snatching a handful of waistband, she pulled the woozy warrior into a stiff Forearm Smash across the lower back, then twisted her hips and THWHAPPED a pretty little European Uppercut against the back of her skull! Lily’s head snapped forward and she probably would’ve collapsed to hands and knees if the Little Sparrow hadn’t caught her in a Double Chickenwing.
“Oh shyUNNNNNNGGGGGGGHH!” Burlingame’s muttered curse became a shout of pain when Sammie bridged up, over and back to THWHUMP her down flat with a Tiger Suplex. Maintaining the bridge wasn’t easy with one knee throbbing so badly, but Sinclair held it like a boss through…
TIGER SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWqwtxwYvs
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Girl that Gravity Forgot slipped the surly bounds of canvas one more time to ensure her reign lasted another three seconds. Beside her, Sammie sat up and massaged her left knee for a few seconds. “Is it holding up ok, Sammie?” Castle asked. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”
Sammie shook her head ‘no’, presumably in response to the official’s second question. “It’ll feel a lot better when it’s Lily on the receiving end of all your questions.” Lily sat up then, as if mere mention of her name was a talisman. “What’s your hurry, Lil?” Sammie crawled in behind the American and looped her right arm under Burlingame’s chin. “Doesn’t the mat look nice and comfy? Maybe you should take a nap.” Gripping her own left bicep for support, Sinclair put that hand against the back of her foe’s head and began to squeeze. Lily’s eyes had been at half mast since sitting up from the German, they bugged wide as soon as her oxygen supply dwindled. She rolled to one knee almost immediately, too bad Sammie rolled with her and cinched both legs around the champ’s waist. A single hard yank brought Burlingame crashing down on her side with the challenger snuggled up against her back in a picture perfect Rear Naked Choke.
Lily waggled a finger to Castle, ensuring he wouldn’t waste his time or hers asking for a submission. With that hurtle cleared for the moment, she gripped the Englishwoman’s right forearm in both hands and felt all along the edge in search of anyplace where she could gain a foothold. Sammie didn’t try to stop her, rather she squeeeeeeeeezed the Scissors a little tighter and worked her shoulders back n’ forth, which did the same for Lily’s trapped noggin. “I’ve got you now, sweetie.” Sinclair’s voice was soft, almost gentle, her cheek resting against the top of the champion’s sweat-damp head. “Tap out. I want to raise your hand after the bell rings.” Burlingame found the crease of her attacker’s elbow, worked a few fingers in and clamped down in search of the pressure point. She only grazed it but the twinge of pain was enough to make the Golden Girl bear down all the harder. “I mean it, Lily.” her tone was stern now. “Don’t make me choke you out!”
“Yuuuuhhhh… you’re gonna have to.” Lily finally conceded to gurgle a response. “It’s the only way you’re going to beat me.” Sammie had a response to that but it got cut off behind a surprised hiss because Lily finally found the nerve cluster she’d sought. The Sleeper portion of the RNC loosened at once and Burlingame rolled over to all fours (excuse me, three of four) and started to rise. It was a short trip from prone to full verticality, leaving Sammie with an unpleasant decision. Keep the Choke in place in hopes of grounding the heiress again before she engineered an escape, or disengage entirely to attack from another angle. Lily started tromping toward the ropes at once, pretty much making the choice for her.
Relinquishing the Scissors so she could at least drag her feet to slow the American’s progress, Sammie broke the Scissors, grabbed hold of he foe’s shoulders and drilled a quick Headbutt into the back of her neck. Lily cried out, staggered, didn’t get too far because the challenger wrapped an arm around her waist and wedged her head under Burlingame’s left arm. Gripping the champ’s left kneepad for a little extra support, Sammie hoisted her rival up high for either a Backdrop Suplex or possibly an Atomic Drop. Or in this case she chose option three, slinging Lily back the way she’d came while simultaneously dropping to her knees. Lily THWHAMMED down flat on her face and chest, then bounced / reeled back onto her knees with both hands pressed to her aching mug.
GOLDEN THUNDER BUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFpQaOEcnZk
Determined to not go for a pin until the American was stretched out and defenseless, Sinclair scrambled to her feet and ran the ropes in front of the penitent battler. Grabbing a double handful of hair upon her return, she hopped up and dropped to her tush with legs splayed, all the better to THWONK Lily’s forehead into the thinly-padded plywood.
PENITENT SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=00LSSRBKM2Q
The former Cherrybomb jolted hard but didn’t roll onto her back so the Little Sparrow slid in on her tummy and coiled her left arm around the other woman’s neck. Then she locked her hands, pushed onto her knees and rolled onto her back, taking Lily for a short, unpleasant ride. What might’ve started as nothing more complicated than a Chancery got quite a bit fancier when Sammie bridged onto her tiptoes and the crown of her skull. Pulled halfway to sitting by the surprise adjustment, Burlingame kicked her feet and flailed her arms in an effort to escape the curiously applied Muta Lock.
INVERTED MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Std3lfCxq5M
“Talk to me, Lily.” Nick Castle said after the champion spent several fruitless seconds looking for an escape hatch. “You want me to call it?”
“No!” Burlingame barked. “I’m not gonna tap outUUUNNNGGGGGHHH AHHHHH SHYT!”
Sinclair bounced her bridge half a dozen times, each up n’ down making the torque on Lily’s neck and upper back that much more unbearable. “Pass out then!” the challenger snapped. “Whatever you do, that belt is coming home with me tonight!”
“The hell it is.” Lily growled. Forcing herself to be still for a few moments, the Interstellar Angel abruptly grabbed hold of her attacker’s wrists and squeezed as hard as she could.
Sinclair grimaced, but didn’t break her bridge. “No way, Lily. You’re trapped. And you’ll stay trapped until WHOOOAAAH!” Burlingame kicked / pulled her legs toward her chest in what looked like a kip-up, only instead of springing to her feet, she torqued her hips and twisted over onto her stomach. She was still trapped in the challenger’s grasp of course, but now the predicament was little more than a grounded Front Facelock and it wasn’t long before Lily powered the both of them to boot leather. Frustrated but hardly out of options, Sinclair reeled her stubborn prey into a much snugger Front Facelock and treated her to several seconds of hard squeezing. Then she cupped her hands under Burlingame’s chin and twisted around so the ladies were back to back, with Lily’s head bent backwards against the challenger’s left shoulder. From there she sank to one knee, forcing the champ to curl backward in an awkward arch that did nothing for the ache in her shoulders and neck. The latter endured even more punishment when Sinclair started jerking down on Lily’s chin, thus bouncing the base of her neck against the unforgiving point of Sammie’s shoulder.
“Anything else you wanna throw at me, Lily?” the Little Sparrow taunted. “Give it your best shot, it won’t be enougHEEEYYY!”
Burlingame grabbed hold of Sammie’s wrists and used them to sloooooooowly pull herself out of the neck-straining contortion. Sammie rose with her and quickly took the wind out of the other brunette’s sails by laying out on her back to THWHUNK Lily’s poor noggin with a quick Reverse Neckbreaker. It wasn’t a move she normally went for covers on, but Sinclair had been working her foe’s neck for the better part of five minutes and so she floated over into a Crossbody and hooked both legs for…
NECK STRETCH & REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-dOjs9LOA
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Lily bucked loose of the challenger with a heartbeat to spare. Sammie sat up, ran a hand through her hair and drew in a deep breath. “You’ve got this.” she murmured under her breath. “You’ve got this. Just stay on her and the title is yours again.”
Repeated like a mantra, the words gave her all the confidence she needed to collect Lily and get to her feet. Switching over to a Wristlock as soon as she was satisfied Burlingame’s legs wouldn’t give out, Sammie stepped off, dropped a shoulder and slung her burden into the ropes with an Irish Whip. The Little Sparrow could’ve followed but didn’t, choosing instead to wait for Lily to return to the center of the ring. She did so promptly and Sinclair was waiting, knees bent and one arm open and crooked for a Sidewalk Slam. Sammie caught her around the waist right smart and the heiress flew skyward, albeit with a great deal more momentum than the challenger intended. See, Lily wasn’t lifted, she leapt, so instead of ending up bundled under the other brunette’s arm she flipped over her shoulder and landed on her feet directly in front of the Golden Girl.
The tiniest bit ahead of her adversary for the first time in what felt like forever, Burlingame shouldered Sammie back to create a bit of distance, then planted on her left foot and PWAAAKED the right into the Brit’s belly with an especially stiff Side Kick. Sinclair ‘oofffhed’ was knocked to her hands and knees but started to rise almost at once. That was fine with Lily, she’d already turned around and raced straight for the ropes the challenger sent her to only moments prior. Only now it was done of her own volition and what a difference that made. Taking to the skies with a yard or so between herself and the strands, the Girl that Gravity forgot landed on the middle rope and bounced back in a veritable whirling dervish of motion, one that twisted sideways in mid-air to TWHUMP Sammie’s chest Crossbody style.
SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW CROSSBODY:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp_6w64utVo
Sinclair went down flat and her legs flew skyward but Burlingame rolled clear without even considering a pin. On her feet a heartbeat later, she darted toward the recovering Briton and -- Sammie popped up from her crouch and immediately fired off a Super Kick aimed at the other brunette’s jaw. Even Lily wasn’t quick enough to dodge that particular bullet but she did twist her head and get a hand between her face and the Golden Girl’s sole. The somewhat muffled strike still proved strong enough to rock Burlingame back on her heels, the Girl That Gravity Forgot suddenly looking much more rickety than usual as she stepped in a fresh batch of fencepost holes. Sammie surveyed the damage, decided there was more to be done and rounded on her heel for a brisk trip into the strands. Returning quite a bit quicker than she left, the former Lightweight Champion took to the aether and twisted sideways, her limber little form stretched out from stem to stern in search of a more traditional, yet no less potent Flying Crossbo’OOHHHHHHHH!’
Lily stepped into the challenger with her arms spread, caught her beneath one shoulder and between the legs and busted off a flawless back flip that THWHAMMED Sammie to the mat in an improvised Power Slam! Rocked back on her knees by the force of the impact, Burlingame gawped at the unexpected success for a split-second, then threw herself across Sinclair’s chest and hooked both legs for…
THE POWER SLAM THAT GRAVITY FORGOT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL65G7XYV0E
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
The Golden Girl pulled her stems free so late that Castle waved a hand at the Timekeeper to make sure he didn’t call for the bell in error. Still too pleased by her slick reversal to be disheartened by the near fall, the Interstellar Angel plunged her hands into Sammie’s hair and hurried to her feet. “I’M GUESSING THERE’S A LOT OF VISITORS IN TOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS!” she roared to the crowd after wedging Sinclair’s noggin between her thighs. “AND WHILE YOU’RE HERE, MAKE SURE TO TAKE A TRIP DOWN SPLASH MOUNTAIN!”
The FAWNatics weren’t quite sure they wanted to make that journey, but they were more than willing to cheer their hearts out as Sammie took it in their stead. Fists knotted against the Brit’s navel, Burlingame dipped her knees and hoisted / spun her pre’YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!’ The Little Sparrow’s fans found a fresh reason to cheer when she somersaulted loose of the Powerbomb attempt and tumbled down the champion’s back. Far more than a simple evasive tactic, Sinclair hooked her legs under Lily’s armpits and coiled her arms around Lily’s waist to flip the American flat on her back with a THUNDEROUS Yoshi Tonic. With Burlingame stacked high n’ tight, Sammie pressed against the other brunette’s upturned haunches and held on for dear life.
ROLLING YOSHI TONIC:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6v9yhspgQo
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
The Interstellar Angel tumbled off her shoulders and made it all the way to full verticality while Castle was still confirming the long ‘TWO!’ Presented with Sinclair’s feet, Lily laid claim to her ankles and busted out a second somersault, this one taking her over the grounded grappler for a snug little Jackknife Cradle. Or perhaps not! Rather than ending in a bridge, Lily landed on her tush and quickly powered to her feet while still holding onto the Golden Girl’s gams! Burlingame held this position for only a moment before shifting Sammie’s right leg over to the other side of her head. With that one contained in a snug cradle, she hooked her right arm around the back of Sinclair’s noggin and pulled it up so that her temple was snugged in just above the champion’s left hip. Breaking into giant steps before Sammie could produce another miraculous counter, Burlingame hopped up and dropped to her butt to THAWHAM her burden down on the back of her head and shoulders as the latest victim of the Kryptonite Crunch.
KRYPTONITE CRUNCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxIXT38xi_A
Sammie popped open in a woozy starfish, her eyes open but glassy, her chest sucking in great big ‘what just hit me?’ gasps. Crouched beside her vulnerable rival, Lily almost went for the pin, but thought better of it. She looked over her shoulder to the nearest corner. This WAS a battle of current and former Lightweight Champions after all. And there was a certain amount of top rope pride on the line. So she bounced to boot leather and practically flew to the turnbuckles, where she went from the ground floor to the penthouse in a single taut leap. Landing in a crouch facing the squared circle, Burlingame stood up straight and paused just long enough to pick / confirm her flight plan. Then it was up, up and away for the Crimson Comet, her limber little frame spiraling through the twisting inside out back-flip of the Cherry Warhead. Deadly as it was beautiful, it THAWHAMMED down across Sammie’s tummy in a Lightweight Megaton Blast that drove every bit of air from the challenger’s lungs. Knowing damned well she got all of that particular ordinance, Lily crawled into a seat on her opponent’s chest, hooked one leg and leaaaaaaaaaaaned back in a big Half Matchbook while the sold out crowd counted along with Nick Castle.
CHERRY WARHEAD:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNdHhtx-Kog
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
The bell sounded, giving Burlingame all the permission she needed to get to her feet. Careful not to step on Sammie, she walked over to the official and offered him her wrist right about the time the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall and STILL the FAWN Lightweight Champion… LILY BURLINGAME!”
After that she accepted the belt, which was quickly snapped into place around her waist. “Gotta admit, it looks good on you.” Lily turned around to find Sammie sitting up with one arm draped against her compacted ribs. “Crap. Anyone ever tell you that Warhead hurts like hell?”
Lily closed in and offered her hand. When it was accepted she helped the Upstart find her feet. “All the time. But it’s usually coming from chicks that sound a lot whinier than you do right now.”
Sinclair sighed and shook her head. “I’m not gonna lie and tell you I’m happy to leave this ring without that belt on my shoulder…” she shrugged. “…but tonight I ran into a girl who wanted it even more than I did. That girl pinned me clean and walked away with the gold. She was better tonight…. but there’s no telling if she’ll be better tomorrow night.”
Lily caught the spark of competitive fire in her opponent’s eyes and returned it with a challenging smile. “If the girl who lost tonight wants to step between the ropes tomorrow night, this girl is more than happy to oblige her.”
Sammie smiled and swatted the champ’s shoulder. “I’ll hold you to that. See ya ‘round, Lily Burlingame.”
Lily nodded, but said nothing as the Golden Girl made her way out of the ring to a thunderous ovation. Alone in the ring once again, the champ stomped to the corner closest to the hard camera and sprang onto the second rope. “THAT’S TWENTY FIFTEEN DOWN!” she shouted over the cheering throng. “READY TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO IN TWENTY SIXTEEN?”
The crowd told her they were. Lily was oh so ready to show them.
SAMMIE SINCLAIR:
As good natured as any faction of fans in the promotion’s history, Sammie’s supporters went crazy with delight the instant their heroine appeared on the stage. Tiny but fierce, Sammie Sinclair was every inch the People’s Princess as she cheered back, shimmering in her golden/yellow attire and blushing openly with her dimple, freckled cheeks flushing a delightful crimson. For her last pay-per-view appearance of the year she sported her usual golden sports bra and now standard matching skirt, the latter featuring a generous slit running up the right side. Her boots were similarly altered, still bright blue and reaching upwards to just beneath her kneecaps, they were now tanned from firm leather and sported lacing right up the front.
Busting out a taut little spiral in the center of the stage, the Golden Girl finished with her feet apart and kept her fingers wiggling heavenwards, nodding to her followers with a confident grin and, just before she led them in her usual declaration of intent, she paused for a few moments longer. The Upstart Legions didn’t need any more prompting, they simply cupped their hands to their mouths and roared, ‘ONE! TWO! THREE!’
Sammie pointed a jaunty index finger toward the squared circle at the exact moment that a hearty explosion of pyrokenetics erupted to either side of the stage. Samantha Sinclair was here and, with a joy induced skip she headed down the aisle at a swift sprint, the second generation superstar with chocolate curls bouncing free about her slender shoulders now a little older, a little wiser and, after the last year was now not only of Championship Pedigree, she was of proven Championship Quality. The girl was now a young woman, and she was looking all the bolder for it.
Fearless? Perhaps not, the Little Sparrow would be the first to admit to her short fallings, but nerve?
She most defiantly had nerve.
The moment Sinclair reached the squared circle, she took a short detour right ways and, much to the delight of those who found themselves closet, Sammie began clapping every outstretched hand that she discovered, paying particular attention to the youngest in attendance. Beating a fast track around the ring, she soon found herself back at start, a run, skip and jump taking her clean up onto the apron. Grasping the top coil with both her paws, the Bright Eyed Wonder leaned back and, following a cheeky shake her pert buttocks, she shot right over the top rope with an applause worthy somersault.
Landing lightly on her feet and clapping once more, she paused only to offer her wrists and knees to senior referee Nick Castle. Once he was satisfied with her lack of foreign objects, the Little Sparrow jogged to the far corner and hopped into a seat on the top turnbuckle, a perfect vantage point to scout the approach of tonight’s adversary.
The sold out crowd was still giving its love to Sammie when the Announcer raised his mic and said, “And introducing her opponent, hailing from Stovington, Vermont, she stands at five feet two inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and ten pounds! She is the Star Strider and the FAWN Lightweight Champion… LILY BURLINGAME!”
Eager to train their attention on the brightest star in FAWN’s Lightweight galaxy, the Star Striders sprang up and cheered uproariously out when the lights went down. From within that swirling, anticipatory gloom came a thumping drum and a matched set of snapping fingers, the two bits of percussion bouncing to and fro in a rat-a-tat riff. A keening guitar note joined the beat and a few seconds later the situation got brighter in no small part due to the tongue of flame that licked at the base of the ramp. As the note held steady, the fire set off on a beeline for the top of the ramp.
The wick shrank in time with the arrival of more guitars and an Earth-shattering KA-BOOM of red pyro that almost swallowed the first verse of ’Comeback Kid’. From the center of this flash and flame a figure emerged, shooting up from the floor to land flawlessly before the capacity crowd.
LILY BURLINGAME:
Launching herself from that brand spankin‘ new crater, Lily Burlingame pumped a fist for the crowd, then smacked the belt snapped around her waist and flew down the ramp in a blur of black, red and white. For tonight’s showdown with one of the most beloved lightweights of the last ten years, she wore gleaming black bottoms accented by swirling galaxies of stars done in red and white. Her top was halter-style sports bra done in an identical scheme, the red and white seeming to shimmer and twine with her every move. Kneepads were matching black and also sported the galaxy motif, white on the left and red on the right. Her hair, though free of the mask, was still pulled back in a long, sweeping ponytail.
More than eager to tangle with the woman waiting on her in the ring, the Girl That Gravity Forgot tore down the ramp then leapt from the floor to the apron to the top rope in the span between heartbeats. Bouncing from it as casually as the terminally grounded stepped off the curb, Lily hooked a sharp turn to the left, hit the adjoining set of strands and went soaring into a gorgeous back flip that set her back in the center of the ring. Then she was off again, the Meteor Mite rounding on one heel to sprint to the far side of the squared circle. At the ropes in an instant, she caught the top and middle in both hands, leapt and twirled over the third strand in a Tiger Feint Kick that ’swicked’ through the air.
Back in the ring a heartbeat later, the youngest Burlingame sister strode to the middle of the ring and undid the belt. Holding it level with one shoulder, she thumbed an invisible detonator in the other hand and raised her gold to correspond to the thunderous ‘BOOOOOOOM!’ from her fans. She let Castle check her boots and pads before hanging the belt over his shoulder. Almost ready, she turned her attention to Sammie even as she backed toward the opposite corner. “You and me, Sparrow.” she grinned. “Hope you’re ready to fly higher than you’ve ever flown before.”
The arena grew even louder after the bell sounded as fans of the Upstart Leader and the Star Strider (which meant just about everyone in attendance) offered a rousing cheer in support of their favorite. Pleased but not distracted by this thunderous reaction, champion and challenger strode from their corners to meet in a handshake at the center of the ring. “Been looking forward to this for a long time, Lily.” the People’s Princess said. “I always thought Cherry Bomb would make a great Upstart.”
“She would’ve.” Burlingame agreed with a smile. “But Cherry only won the Lightweight title. Lily’s the one who’s defended it for nine months… and she’s looking to make it ten.”
Sinclair gave her a competitive smile and broke the handshake. “Your run’s been a good thing for the Lightweight Division, Lily. And you know what they say about good things.”
Lily backed off, raised her hands to shoulder level and started to circle. Sammie did the same. “Yeah, I do. Someone’s gonna beat me one of these days. But it won’t be you, Golden Girl.”
“We’ll see about that.” Sinclair sprang forward, got an arm hooked under her own and went tumbling across the canvas when Lily laid out on her side. More acrobatics than offense, the Arm Drag put some distance between the brunettes without keeping Sammie down for more than a second. Even so, Burlingame was practically on top of her by the time the Upstart righted herself and it was only the Englishwoman’s own impressive agility that let her toss the champ with an Arm Drag of her own. Lily skidded a short distance on one hip, popped to her feet and rounded on the--OHHHHH!
A charging Sammie leapt and planted her feet against the sturdy planks of Burlingame’s thighs. Locking her hands across the base of the American’s skull, Sinclair tucked in and laid out on her back to hurl Lily up, over and down with a flawless Monkey Fl--OHHHHH! Burlingame adjusted in mid-air to land on her feet with a crisp little ‘thump’. Caught at a momentary disadvantage, Sammie kipped to verticality and would’ve rounded on the champ if Lily hadn’t wrapped her up in a tight Waistlock. “Gold’s on the line tonight, Sammie.” Burlingame muttered as she dug the knot of her fists into the Brit’s trim tummy. “Don’t forget that for an insTUUFFH!”
Bearing down on Lily’s wrists, Sinclair squeezed hard enough to loosen the Waistlock but not break it. So she pulled her hips forward and thrust them back into the pit of her foe’s stomach. The Star Strider’s grip slipped some more, giving Sinclair all the freedom she needed raise her right hand high and flip to side in a gorgeous springy cartwheel that… Lily mirrored while keeping one arm wrapped around the other brunette’s waist. She doubled down on the Waistlock as soon as they returned to the canvas, in fact the champ pulled up and leeeeeeeaaaaaned back just enough to lift Sinclair’s feet off the ground.
“Your trunks are all the gold you need, Sammie.” Lily huffed as the surprisingly brawny Reverse Bear Hug squeezed the air from her rival. “You’re not gonna get mine NNGGH!”
Sammie tagged the American with a quick Back Elbow to the side of the head. That set her back on the floor in a considerably looser Waistlock and Sammie capitalized by twisting free of Burlingame’s grasp. More to the point, she laid claim to Lily’s left wrist and pinned it up behind her back in a Hammerlock. Sinclair dug her chin into the hollow of Lily’s left shoulder, all the better to keep the trapped arm immobilized and to add a little more pain to the predicament.
“That belt around your waist was mine once, Lily.” the former champion murmured in the current champion’s ear. “I defended it as doggedly and valiantly as you have. I mean to defend it again and if it means putting you down for three then that’s exactly what I’m going to WHOAAAH!”
Burlingame crooked her free arm around the back of Sinclair’s head, then pulled her forward and dropped down to toss the Englishwoman away with an improvised Snapmare. Or at least that was the plan originally. Sammie threw a wrench into it when she maintained the Hammerlock through all the tumbling. Stretched out on her side now, Burlingame grunted with irritation when the Little Sparrow scissored her left thigh and locked her ankles to trap it in a Single Leg Grapevine. “Wanna give it up, Lil’?” Sinclair chirped after a pair of constrictions on her simple yet binding holds. “Give up whenever you’re ready to hand over the title.”
Lily shook her head ‘no’ more for the referee than her adversary. “Would YOU have given it up to a Hammerlock, Sammie?” She punctuated this by driving a hard little fist into the meat of her attacker’s right thigh.
Sinclair grimaced at the strike, but nodded understanding at the champ’s other response. “Of course not. And I suppose you won’t either. Which means I have to find another way.” Ready, willing and able to do exactly that, Sammie used the Hammerlock / Grapevine combination to roll Burlingame over onto her tummy. Relinquishing gam control so she could mount the American’s back, the Golden Girl did the same for the Hammerlock after one more brisk yank. The resultant yelp from Lily gave her rival more than enough time to grab hold of her biceps and yank them off the mat. These were promptly threaded over Sammie’s thighs, leaving the challenger’s hands free to cradle Burlingame’s chin.
Camel Clutch in the center of the ring, Samantha Sinclair to Lily Burlingame.
Sammie might’ve been a lightweight but she worked the hold with the patience and power of a Destroyer, really sinking her tush into the small of Lily’s back while she reefed up on that captured chin. “What do you say, Lily?” Nick Castle asked following ten seconds or so of this spine-wrenching abuse. “Wanna give up?”
“Of course she doesn’t want to give up.” Sammie answered for her. “But sometimes a champion isn’t given a choice.” she proved it by craaaaaaaaaaanking Burlingame’s head back that much farther.
“Yuuuuuuhhh… you don’t stop this match… unless I pass out, Castle. And even then you better check my damned hand three times.” Lily had a remarkable amount of steel in her voice for someone speaking through clenched teeth.
Sinclair appreciated the American’s tone, after all, she’d heard it in her own voice every time someone tried to wrest the Lightweight Strap from her grasp. And yet the Golden Girl didn’t hesitate to bounce her pert little bum against Burlingame’s back to make the Clutch that much more intolerable. “Go on and give up, Lily.” she chided. “None of these people want to see you hurt.”
“Do you want to see me hurt, Sammie?” Burlingame was squirming and twisting, trying to slide her arms loose with no visible success.
“Not at all.” Sinclair answered emphatically. “But I will bring tears to your eyes if it means putting that belt around my waist agNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Lily pulled her right arm off the other brunette’s thigh and promptly drilled an elbow into Sinclair’s right knee. The silver bolt that ran from ankle to thigh broke Sammie’s hold on Lily’s chin, bringing instant relief to her taut back. While ‘pinned beneath a motivated challenger’ was hardly an advantageous position for any champion, Burlingame made no attempt to slide out once her head was her own again. Rather she rolled onto her back, cupped a hand against the back of Sammie’s noggin and pulled her down into a trio of PAAAKING Forearm Smashes. Sinclair ‘oofffhhhed’, started to pull away and was drawn down into a sturdy Front Facelock. Things grew more troublesome for the challenger when Lily kicked her legs up, threaded them around the Englishwoman’s hips and locked her ankles.
“UUUNNNNGGGGGHHHH!” Sammie let loose a breathy groan as the Guillotine Choke put nasty pressure on her neck and ribs.
“Kinda thought we’d be running the ropes a lot more, Sammie.” Lily remarked after a long squeeze. “But if it’s a mat wrestling lesson you’re after, I’m happy to provide.”
If the Guillotine had been applied incorrectly Sinclair might’ve dared waste oxygen on a verbal response. Unfortunately it was locked in perfectly, meaning that her window of escape was too small to bother with words. Planting her left hand flat against the mat, Sammie curled her right into a fist and pounded it into the champion’s ribs half a dozen times in rapid succession. Lily grimaced and shook her head ‘no’ but that was about it. Sammie didn’t need to see her foe’s face to know Burlingame wasn’t going to be deterred so easily. Head already starting to swim, the Little Sparrow pounded shots into her attacker’s biceps for a few seconds, just to make sure it wouldn’t get her anywhere. When it didn’t she gripped Lily’s shoulders in each hand and bore down tight. Now Burlingame did grimace. The claws weren’t enough to make her relinquish the Guillotine, yet they were impossible to ignore so she punished the Englishwoman with a long constriction of her Scissors. Sammie moaned and seemed to shrink a little as the muscles in Lily’s gams shredded into sharp relief under the overhead lights.
Already honed in on her distress, Castle dropped to one knee to check. “You ok, Sammie? If you think you’re about to black out, let me know and I’ll get you outta there.”
“NO!” Sinclair squeaked. “I’ve got this!”
Lily smiled in spite of the tines digging into her shoulders. “You sure about that, Sammie? You’re hooked in pretty deep, girl WHOOOAAAHHH!”
That was true of course, but in linking the challenger to herself Burlingame linked herself to the challenger, meaning she was pulled into a near seat when the struggling challenger reared back on her knees. Knowing full well she was taking a calculated risk, Sammie pushed up a little bit more, then threw herself forward and down to THWHUMP Burlingame against the mat. The landing also BWONKED the crown of her skull in a sort of self inflicted DDT, yet the Golden Girl dubbed the ache worth it because her noggin popped loose of the champion’s crushing Facelock. She didn’t dare take a moment to enjoy her freedom though, not with Lily far too close for comfort. To remedy that situation the British brunette stuffed the heel of her left palm against Lily’s chest, not to pin her down, but to keep her in place while she pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED a stiff series of Forearm Smashes across her opponent’s collarbone. After a full baker’s dozen she gripped Lily’s shoulders, pressed down and leaned forward as best she could. A quick check from the ref led to…
ONE…
TWO…
“AAAUUUGGGGHHH!” Sinclair gave up on the cover when Lily squeezed the Scissors hard enough to grind her ribs. “Give it up, Sammie.” Burlingame was propped up on her elbows, patient and cool as her thighs did the heavy lifting. “You might be able to fly as fast as me but down here I’ll own you all day OOOFFFFHHHH!”
Sammie THUMPED her navel with a Double Axehandle, then gouged her elbows into the sides of the champ’s knees until she was able to wriggle free. Practically forehead to forehead as they started to rise, champ and challenger never made it past a deep crouch because the latter wrapped up the former with an Inside Cradle that rolled her up in a squirmy little ball! Still in place beside them, Nick counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
Lily popped loose and twisted onto her belly, not that it did her much good because Sinclair immediately caught her in a retaliatory Front Facelock. Things went from bad to worse when Sammie pushed to her knees and somersaulted forward, transforming the simple hold into a neck-wrenching, spine straining Muta Lock!
INSIDE CRADLE TO MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvLC9aT3Ho
“Tap out, Lil!” Sinclair demanded as she reefed up on the other woman’s chin. “Or do you want me to stretch you a little more?”
Burlingame didn’t want that at all, she was however, willing to endure the hurt for as long as it took if it meant keeping the title around her waist. If it’d been a traditional Muta Lock in the middle of the ring she would’ve been in serious trouble, but the swiftness of Sinclair’s application meant the American’s legs remained untangled. Pushing up on her hands, the Interstellar Angel slid back ‘til she was on all fours, which in turn forced Sammie’s bridge higher and relieved the pressure on her neck (without actually breaking the challenger’s grip though).”Nice transition, Sammie.” Lily grunted as she gripped the other brunette’s encroaching hands. “But it’s not enough to take my UUUNNNGGGGGHHHH!”
Sammie let loose of the Chinlock just long enough to twist around so that she was facing the penitent battler’s back. Then she reapplied stronger than ever and treated Burlingame to a bit of payback by hopping up and lacing her legs around the startled lovely’s waist. Ankles locked, she angled her gams down between Lily’s planted legs and craaaaaaaaaaaaaaanked back on the Chinlock. Soaking up the hurt from what was essentially a Scissored Camel Clutch, Lily powered to boot leather before trying to prize the Englishwoman’s hands from her jaw.
SCISSORED CAMEL CLUTCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IWWGgOS_vs
“Nope!” Sammie chirped with obvious happiness even as she wrenched her foe’s head back n’ forth. “You want out? Wrestle out! Or tap! I’d be fine with that too.”
“Nnnnnnnngggghh!” the Star Strider grunted to Nick in obvious opposition to Sammie’s suggestion.” A few seconds of fiddling with Sinclair’s hands told Burlingame that wasn’t going to get the job done and pushing / punching at her thighs earned a whole lotta nothing as well. Resigned to a galling admission, Burlingame gathered her strength and started stamping toward the edge of the ring. “Oh c’mon, the ROPES?” the Golden Girl huffed. “I thought we were having a wrestling match here! Now you might as well go ahead and tell everyone you’re not clever enough to find a way out of WHOOOAAAAAHHHNNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Lily went from stamping stagger to brisk lope in the blink of an eye. Didn’t head to the ropes either. Instead she veered to the right and spun around at the last second to BWUUUUNG her opponent’s spine into the turnbuckles. Sammie’s legs popped open and the Chinlock loosened to near nothingness, for which the champion was quite glad. Of course the Tiny Sparrow was still far too close for her liking, so Burlingame reached back and grabbed a shameless double handful of Brit locks. Then she took a giant step forward, dropped into a quick split and sent Sinclair tumbling across the canvas with a Snapmare!
SPLIT LEGGED SNAPMARE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG0VqZ_fyCY
Sammie stopped a few feet shy of the opposite corner, hurried to her feet and BWUUUUUNG! A hard-charging Lily took to the skies with a Dropkick that hit her foe’s chest hard enough to bounce the back of her head against the top buckle. Knocked woozy by the whiplash blow, a rubber-kneed Sinclair stumbled out of the corner oblivious to the threat racing in from her left. Said threat became much more well-defined when Lily sprang up and ‘smecked’ her legs around the challenger’s head. Then she locked her ankles and torqued her hips to land on her tummy while poor Sammie was THWONKED down on the crown of her skull. Sinclair jolted like she’d eaten a DDT, held the pose for a split-second and collapsed onto her tummy.
SPIKE 'RANA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KNnIg-5AwA
She’d just started to rub at her achin’ noggin when Burlingame shot a Half Nelson and shoveled her onto her back. Quite glad to be back on top of these predicaments, Burlingame hooked the far leg and pulled Sammie’s knee up to her chest while Castle counted…
ONE…
TWO…
Sammie shot a shoulder off the mat, saving her golden aspirations with a good second to spare. Lily checked the count with Nick but didn’t argue when he only showed two. “Gonna keep you on the mat, Sammie.” Burlingame muttered to the stunned Englishwoman. “Stretch ya out, tie ya in knots. Title’s mine and it’s gonna stay that way for a long time.” She added some credence to this proclamation by taking hold of the challenger’s left ankle and draaaaagging her to the middle of the squared circle. From there Lily stuffed Sammie’s shin under her right armpit and braced her left hand against the Briton’s knee, all the better to flip her onto her tummy. But instead of stepping over and dropping into a crouch atop her foe’s back, Burlingame angled her right leg around the side of Sinclair’s exposed knee and dropped to a seat. In the next instant she tucked her right foot into the pit of Sammie’s right knee and CRANKED backward to transform the Half Crab into what was essentially a Kneebar.
KNEE BEND LEGLOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eopuSlz8ZpE
The Golden Girl sat bolt upright and shrieked, both hands flying for the knee stretched by the dense meat of her attacker’s right thigh. Shaking her head ‘no’ before Castle could even get the words out of his mouth, Sammie balled her hands into fists and started smashing away at the champion’s gam. “LET GO, LILY!”
Burlingame grimaced at the impacts but showed no signs of relinquishing her grip. “Give up and I will, Sammie. Or reach the ropes. That’s the only way you’re getting out of--”
Sinclair pounded a harder punch into the brunette’s thigh to cut her off with a yip. She thought the steel band gouging at her knee loosened the tiniest bit, unfortunately she didn’t get a chance to deliver another blow before the Star Strider stretched out flat on her back to apply even more pressure. Pulling at her own hair now, the challenger did her best to balance on her left hip if only to keep a shoulder off the mat.
Over on the other end of pain spectrum, Lily was both impressed and annoyed by the other brunette’s resistance. “Don’t just lay there and suffer, Sammie.” she said after another strong tug / stretch combination. “Either get out or submit. I’m not gonna have you leaving this ring on crutches because you were too stubborn to admit you’d lost.”
Sammie grit her teeth, shook her head ‘no’. “So you want a jailbreak, Lily? All right, I’ll give ya one.” Swiveling to the right as far as she could manage, the grounded Sparrow dug her fingers into the mat and set off on a journey that took almost a minute. In the real world that time would tick off the clock in about sixty seconds but in a wrestling ring seconds have a way of feeling like hours for a girl enduring athletically sanctioned leg torture. Sinclair stopped more than once, her forehead pressed against the rough canvas while she dug a little deeper into her reserves. That toughness combined with a steadily increasing roar from the crowd kept Sammie moving until her straining right hand managed to snatch the bottom rope in a death grip. “BREAK!” she demanded over the roar of the crowd. “BREAK IT, LILY!”
Give the champ credit, she did as bade without waiting for Nick to repeat the order. Hands raised to her shoulders to prove a clean break, Burlingame backed off to mid-ring where she ‘flicked’ her trunks into place and took in several deep breaths. Sammie did the same, though hers were taken much closer to the ground, as she was balled up and massaging the assaulted joint. “How does your knee feel, Sammie?” the ref asked a few seconds after the break. “Can it support your weight? If it can’t I’ll have to call the match.”
The Little Sparrow muttered a negation, sat up and kept rubbing her knee. “I can stand on it. That means I can continue. I appreciate the concern, Nick. But I’ll be fine.”
The look on Castle’s face told her she sure as hell didn’t *look* fine, but when Sinclair got to her feet a moment later she only used the ropes once.
“There might as well be a bulls eye on that knee now, Sammie.” Lily said without malice. “Every time I get a hold of it you’re going to get a little slower. Give up now before it turns into something an ice pack won’t heal.”
Sammie pushed off the ropes by a step or two. “You’re not gonna talk your way into a win, Burlingame. You want to retain the title? Pin me or make me submit. If you can.”
Lily scowled, came forward and promptly put on the brakes to intercept the Toe Kick aimed at her gut. “Kicking with your bad leg?” she asked the hopping Briton. “That’s a rookie mistake, Sincl--” Apparently not, as the Golden Girl leapt off her strong plant leg and whipped an Enzugiri at the side of her opponent’s temple. Quick as it was, the Interstellar Angel proved the tiniest bit quicker, as she dropped into a crouch a heartbeat prior to having her noggin rattled. Down on her hands with her bad leg in the American’s possession, Sammie pushed off again, twisted in mid-air and THWHUMPED a one-legged Mule Kick into her attacker’s chest. Lily went down on her butt, popped back up and was immediately greeted by a short running Clothesline that struck her flush across the chest. Grinning at the sound of her foe hitting the mat, Sinclair wheeled around sharply (while making sure to keep as much weight off her bum leg as possible) then raced back and flattened the Star Strider with a second Clothesline as soon as she got vertical.
“C’MON ORLANDO!” Sammie shouted for their support and got it back a hundredfold from her fans and quite a few of Lily’s. As for the champ, she was a bit slower to rise this time but still made it to her feet in short order, not that it did a damned thing to slow Sammie’s momentum when she charged a third time. Taking to skies like she’d never heard of a tweaked knee, the former Lightweight Champion leaned back and THWHAPPED the current Lightweight Champion across the sternum with a perfect Leg Lariat.
SPARROW'S COMEBACK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGQwEASphk
Lily stayed down in the wake of the Lariat, which was all the motive Sammie needed to pounce atop her chest in a Crossbody. Gripping the other brunette’s left wrist in both hands, the Golden Girl pressed the advantage for…
ONE…
TWO…
Burlingame wrenched loose and pushed her rival away. Sinclair grimaced as her bad knee bounced against the mat, then shook it off and stomped into Lily’s personal space as she was starting to rise. Snatching a handful of waistband, she pulled the woozy warrior into a stiff Forearm Smash across the lower back, then twisted her hips and THWHAPPED a pretty little European Uppercut against the back of her skull! Lily’s head snapped forward and she probably would’ve collapsed to hands and knees if the Little Sparrow hadn’t caught her in a Double Chickenwing.
“Oh shyUNNNNNNGGGGGGGHH!” Burlingame’s muttered curse became a shout of pain when Sammie bridged up, over and back to THWHUMP her down flat with a Tiger Suplex. Maintaining the bridge wasn’t easy with one knee throbbing so badly, but Sinclair held it like a boss through…
TIGER SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWqwtxwYvs
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
The Girl that Gravity Forgot slipped the surly bounds of canvas one more time to ensure her reign lasted another three seconds. Beside her, Sammie sat up and massaged her left knee for a few seconds. “Is it holding up ok, Sammie?” Castle asked. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”
Sammie shook her head ‘no’, presumably in response to the official’s second question. “It’ll feel a lot better when it’s Lily on the receiving end of all your questions.” Lily sat up then, as if mere mention of her name was a talisman. “What’s your hurry, Lil?” Sammie crawled in behind the American and looped her right arm under Burlingame’s chin. “Doesn’t the mat look nice and comfy? Maybe you should take a nap.” Gripping her own left bicep for support, Sinclair put that hand against the back of her foe’s head and began to squeeze. Lily’s eyes had been at half mast since sitting up from the German, they bugged wide as soon as her oxygen supply dwindled. She rolled to one knee almost immediately, too bad Sammie rolled with her and cinched both legs around the champ’s waist. A single hard yank brought Burlingame crashing down on her side with the challenger snuggled up against her back in a picture perfect Rear Naked Choke.
Lily waggled a finger to Castle, ensuring he wouldn’t waste his time or hers asking for a submission. With that hurtle cleared for the moment, she gripped the Englishwoman’s right forearm in both hands and felt all along the edge in search of anyplace where she could gain a foothold. Sammie didn’t try to stop her, rather she squeeeeeeeeezed the Scissors a little tighter and worked her shoulders back n’ forth, which did the same for Lily’s trapped noggin. “I’ve got you now, sweetie.” Sinclair’s voice was soft, almost gentle, her cheek resting against the top of the champion’s sweat-damp head. “Tap out. I want to raise your hand after the bell rings.” Burlingame found the crease of her attacker’s elbow, worked a few fingers in and clamped down in search of the pressure point. She only grazed it but the twinge of pain was enough to make the Golden Girl bear down all the harder. “I mean it, Lily.” her tone was stern now. “Don’t make me choke you out!”
“Yuuuuhhhh… you’re gonna have to.” Lily finally conceded to gurgle a response. “It’s the only way you’re going to beat me.” Sammie had a response to that but it got cut off behind a surprised hiss because Lily finally found the nerve cluster she’d sought. The Sleeper portion of the RNC loosened at once and Burlingame rolled over to all fours (excuse me, three of four) and started to rise. It was a short trip from prone to full verticality, leaving Sammie with an unpleasant decision. Keep the Choke in place in hopes of grounding the heiress again before she engineered an escape, or disengage entirely to attack from another angle. Lily started tromping toward the ropes at once, pretty much making the choice for her.
Relinquishing the Scissors so she could at least drag her feet to slow the American’s progress, Sammie broke the Scissors, grabbed hold of he foe’s shoulders and drilled a quick Headbutt into the back of her neck. Lily cried out, staggered, didn’t get too far because the challenger wrapped an arm around her waist and wedged her head under Burlingame’s left arm. Gripping the champ’s left kneepad for a little extra support, Sammie hoisted her rival up high for either a Backdrop Suplex or possibly an Atomic Drop. Or in this case she chose option three, slinging Lily back the way she’d came while simultaneously dropping to her knees. Lily THWHAMMED down flat on her face and chest, then bounced / reeled back onto her knees with both hands pressed to her aching mug.
GOLDEN THUNDER BUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFpQaOEcnZk
Determined to not go for a pin until the American was stretched out and defenseless, Sinclair scrambled to her feet and ran the ropes in front of the penitent battler. Grabbing a double handful of hair upon her return, she hopped up and dropped to her tush with legs splayed, all the better to THWONK Lily’s forehead into the thinly-padded plywood.
PENITENT SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=00LSSRBKM2Q
The former Cherrybomb jolted hard but didn’t roll onto her back so the Little Sparrow slid in on her tummy and coiled her left arm around the other woman’s neck. Then she locked her hands, pushed onto her knees and rolled onto her back, taking Lily for a short, unpleasant ride. What might’ve started as nothing more complicated than a Chancery got quite a bit fancier when Sammie bridged onto her tiptoes and the crown of her skull. Pulled halfway to sitting by the surprise adjustment, Burlingame kicked her feet and flailed her arms in an effort to escape the curiously applied Muta Lock.
INVERTED MUTA LOCK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Std3lfCxq5M
“Talk to me, Lily.” Nick Castle said after the champion spent several fruitless seconds looking for an escape hatch. “You want me to call it?”
“No!” Burlingame barked. “I’m not gonna tap outUUUNNNGGGGGHHH AHHHHH SHYT!”
Sinclair bounced her bridge half a dozen times, each up n’ down making the torque on Lily’s neck and upper back that much more unbearable. “Pass out then!” the challenger snapped. “Whatever you do, that belt is coming home with me tonight!”
“The hell it is.” Lily growled. Forcing herself to be still for a few moments, the Interstellar Angel abruptly grabbed hold of her attacker’s wrists and squeezed as hard as she could.
Sinclair grimaced, but didn’t break her bridge. “No way, Lily. You’re trapped. And you’ll stay trapped until WHOOOAAAH!” Burlingame kicked / pulled her legs toward her chest in what looked like a kip-up, only instead of springing to her feet, she torqued her hips and twisted over onto her stomach. She was still trapped in the challenger’s grasp of course, but now the predicament was little more than a grounded Front Facelock and it wasn’t long before Lily powered the both of them to boot leather. Frustrated but hardly out of options, Sinclair reeled her stubborn prey into a much snugger Front Facelock and treated her to several seconds of hard squeezing. Then she cupped her hands under Burlingame’s chin and twisted around so the ladies were back to back, with Lily’s head bent backwards against the challenger’s left shoulder. From there she sank to one knee, forcing the champ to curl backward in an awkward arch that did nothing for the ache in her shoulders and neck. The latter endured even more punishment when Sinclair started jerking down on Lily’s chin, thus bouncing the base of her neck against the unforgiving point of Sammie’s shoulder.
“Anything else you wanna throw at me, Lily?” the Little Sparrow taunted. “Give it your best shot, it won’t be enougHEEEYYY!”
Burlingame grabbed hold of Sammie’s wrists and used them to sloooooooowly pull herself out of the neck-straining contortion. Sammie rose with her and quickly took the wind out of the other brunette’s sails by laying out on her back to THWHUNK Lily’s poor noggin with a quick Reverse Neckbreaker. It wasn’t a move she normally went for covers on, but Sinclair had been working her foe’s neck for the better part of five minutes and so she floated over into a Crossbody and hooked both legs for…
NECK STRETCH & REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-dOjs9LOA
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Lily bucked loose of the challenger with a heartbeat to spare. Sammie sat up, ran a hand through her hair and drew in a deep breath. “You’ve got this.” she murmured under her breath. “You’ve got this. Just stay on her and the title is yours again.”
Repeated like a mantra, the words gave her all the confidence she needed to collect Lily and get to her feet. Switching over to a Wristlock as soon as she was satisfied Burlingame’s legs wouldn’t give out, Sammie stepped off, dropped a shoulder and slung her burden into the ropes with an Irish Whip. The Little Sparrow could’ve followed but didn’t, choosing instead to wait for Lily to return to the center of the ring. She did so promptly and Sinclair was waiting, knees bent and one arm open and crooked for a Sidewalk Slam. Sammie caught her around the waist right smart and the heiress flew skyward, albeit with a great deal more momentum than the challenger intended. See, Lily wasn’t lifted, she leapt, so instead of ending up bundled under the other brunette’s arm she flipped over her shoulder and landed on her feet directly in front of the Golden Girl.
The tiniest bit ahead of her adversary for the first time in what felt like forever, Burlingame shouldered Sammie back to create a bit of distance, then planted on her left foot and PWAAAKED the right into the Brit’s belly with an especially stiff Side Kick. Sinclair ‘oofffhed’ was knocked to her hands and knees but started to rise almost at once. That was fine with Lily, she’d already turned around and raced straight for the ropes the challenger sent her to only moments prior. Only now it was done of her own volition and what a difference that made. Taking to the skies with a yard or so between herself and the strands, the Girl that Gravity forgot landed on the middle rope and bounced back in a veritable whirling dervish of motion, one that twisted sideways in mid-air to TWHUMP Sammie’s chest Crossbody style.
SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW CROSSBODY:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp_6w64utVo
Sinclair went down flat and her legs flew skyward but Burlingame rolled clear without even considering a pin. On her feet a heartbeat later, she darted toward the recovering Briton and -- Sammie popped up from her crouch and immediately fired off a Super Kick aimed at the other brunette’s jaw. Even Lily wasn’t quick enough to dodge that particular bullet but she did twist her head and get a hand between her face and the Golden Girl’s sole. The somewhat muffled strike still proved strong enough to rock Burlingame back on her heels, the Girl That Gravity Forgot suddenly looking much more rickety than usual as she stepped in a fresh batch of fencepost holes. Sammie surveyed the damage, decided there was more to be done and rounded on her heel for a brisk trip into the strands. Returning quite a bit quicker than she left, the former Lightweight Champion took to the aether and twisted sideways, her limber little form stretched out from stem to stern in search of a more traditional, yet no less potent Flying Crossbo’OOHHHHHHHH!’
Lily stepped into the challenger with her arms spread, caught her beneath one shoulder and between the legs and busted off a flawless back flip that THWHAMMED Sammie to the mat in an improvised Power Slam! Rocked back on her knees by the force of the impact, Burlingame gawped at the unexpected success for a split-second, then threw herself across Sinclair’s chest and hooked both legs for…
THE POWER SLAM THAT GRAVITY FORGOT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL65G7XYV0E
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
The Golden Girl pulled her stems free so late that Castle waved a hand at the Timekeeper to make sure he didn’t call for the bell in error. Still too pleased by her slick reversal to be disheartened by the near fall, the Interstellar Angel plunged her hands into Sammie’s hair and hurried to her feet. “I’M GUESSING THERE’S A LOT OF VISITORS IN TOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS!” she roared to the crowd after wedging Sinclair’s noggin between her thighs. “AND WHILE YOU’RE HERE, MAKE SURE TO TAKE A TRIP DOWN SPLASH MOUNTAIN!”
The FAWNatics weren’t quite sure they wanted to make that journey, but they were more than willing to cheer their hearts out as Sammie took it in their stead. Fists knotted against the Brit’s navel, Burlingame dipped her knees and hoisted / spun her pre’YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!’ The Little Sparrow’s fans found a fresh reason to cheer when she somersaulted loose of the Powerbomb attempt and tumbled down the champion’s back. Far more than a simple evasive tactic, Sinclair hooked her legs under Lily’s armpits and coiled her arms around Lily’s waist to flip the American flat on her back with a THUNDEROUS Yoshi Tonic. With Burlingame stacked high n’ tight, Sammie pressed against the other brunette’s upturned haunches and held on for dear life.
ROLLING YOSHI TONIC:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6v9yhspgQo
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
The Interstellar Angel tumbled off her shoulders and made it all the way to full verticality while Castle was still confirming the long ‘TWO!’ Presented with Sinclair’s feet, Lily laid claim to her ankles and busted out a second somersault, this one taking her over the grounded grappler for a snug little Jackknife Cradle. Or perhaps not! Rather than ending in a bridge, Lily landed on her tush and quickly powered to her feet while still holding onto the Golden Girl’s gams! Burlingame held this position for only a moment before shifting Sammie’s right leg over to the other side of her head. With that one contained in a snug cradle, she hooked her right arm around the back of Sinclair’s noggin and pulled it up so that her temple was snugged in just above the champion’s left hip. Breaking into giant steps before Sammie could produce another miraculous counter, Burlingame hopped up and dropped to her butt to THAWHAM her burden down on the back of her head and shoulders as the latest victim of the Kryptonite Crunch.
KRYPTONITE CRUNCH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxIXT38xi_A
Sammie popped open in a woozy starfish, her eyes open but glassy, her chest sucking in great big ‘what just hit me?’ gasps. Crouched beside her vulnerable rival, Lily almost went for the pin, but thought better of it. She looked over her shoulder to the nearest corner. This WAS a battle of current and former Lightweight Champions after all. And there was a certain amount of top rope pride on the line. So she bounced to boot leather and practically flew to the turnbuckles, where she went from the ground floor to the penthouse in a single taut leap. Landing in a crouch facing the squared circle, Burlingame stood up straight and paused just long enough to pick / confirm her flight plan. Then it was up, up and away for the Crimson Comet, her limber little frame spiraling through the twisting inside out back-flip of the Cherry Warhead. Deadly as it was beautiful, it THAWHAMMED down across Sammie’s tummy in a Lightweight Megaton Blast that drove every bit of air from the challenger’s lungs. Knowing damned well she got all of that particular ordinance, Lily crawled into a seat on her opponent’s chest, hooked one leg and leaaaaaaaaaaaned back in a big Half Matchbook while the sold out crowd counted along with Nick Castle.
CHERRY WARHEAD:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNdHhtx-Kog
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
The bell sounded, giving Burlingame all the permission she needed to get to her feet. Careful not to step on Sammie, she walked over to the official and offered him her wrist right about the time the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall and STILL the FAWN Lightweight Champion… LILY BURLINGAME!”
After that she accepted the belt, which was quickly snapped into place around her waist. “Gotta admit, it looks good on you.” Lily turned around to find Sammie sitting up with one arm draped against her compacted ribs. “Crap. Anyone ever tell you that Warhead hurts like hell?”
Lily closed in and offered her hand. When it was accepted she helped the Upstart find her feet. “All the time. But it’s usually coming from chicks that sound a lot whinier than you do right now.”
Sinclair sighed and shook her head. “I’m not gonna lie and tell you I’m happy to leave this ring without that belt on my shoulder…” she shrugged. “…but tonight I ran into a girl who wanted it even more than I did. That girl pinned me clean and walked away with the gold. She was better tonight…. but there’s no telling if she’ll be better tomorrow night.”
Lily caught the spark of competitive fire in her opponent’s eyes and returned it with a challenging smile. “If the girl who lost tonight wants to step between the ropes tomorrow night, this girl is more than happy to oblige her.”
Sammie smiled and swatted the champ’s shoulder. “I’ll hold you to that. See ya ‘round, Lily Burlingame.”
Lily nodded, but said nothing as the Golden Girl made her way out of the ring to a thunderous ovation. Alone in the ring once again, the champ stomped to the corner closest to the hard camera and sprang onto the second rope. “THAT’S TWENTY FIFTEEN DOWN!” she shouted over the cheering throng. “READY TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO IN TWENTY SIXTEEN?”
The crowd told her they were. Lily was oh so ready to show them.