Post by walkindude on Aug 7, 2016 19:00:30 GMT
Calumet Township, Michigan,
UPPW’s weekly ‘Friday Fight Fest card
Three minutes ‘til Main Event.
In most wrestling promotions the ‘Gorilla Position’ was a small room just off to one side of the curtain leading out into the arena proper. It was a quiet place where talent, producers and road agents alike could catch a moment to themselves before or after any given match. In Upper Peninsula Pro Wrestling however, the Gorilla Position was nothing but a table with a big soundboard wedged into a corner of the home team’s locker room. It was there that local girl made good (or at least, looking to make it good) Rita Carrick struggled to get a satisfactory answer out of Jack Dereleth, head booker for UPPW.
“I’m sorry, Jack.” Rita said this with as little exasperation as possible. “Explain to me one more time why Carrie and I aren’t settling up tonight? We’d had this match booked for a month!”
“Yes, yes we did. And it would’ve gone down as advertised if Carrie hadn’t gotten a call from Bangor last night asking her to fly over for the weekend for a training camp.”
Rita’s dark eyes widened. “Bangor? The Jungle? Dang, I wish they’d call me!” She shook off the pang of disappointment and smiled for Carrie. The girl deserved it, even if she and Rita had been beating each other senseless for the better part of a year. “Ok fine, so Carrie got herself a chance at the bigs? Who does that leave for tonight? Everybody’s but me’s already wrestled once, or twice, in Nancy’s case.”
Jack started to answer before he was interrupted by the blare of the Announcer from the other side of the double doors. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for our Main Event! Introducing first, hailing from right up the road in Copper Harbor, she stands at five feet three inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty-one pounds, she is the Pitbull, RITA CARRICK!”
Rita saw Derleth’s hand drift toward a switch on the soundboard. “Don’t even think about it Jack, not until you tell me who--”
He pressed the switch and the gymnasium was filled with the Beastie Boys’s ‘Sabotage’. The promoter smiled and pointed toward the doors. “Go on, Rita. They’re waiting for ya.”
“But who am I--”
“I don’t know. Bangor sent her as an apology for taking Carrie on such short notice. She’s working under a mask, but they sent a video of her work and you two will match up fine. Now go, go, go!”
Carrick sighed, then slapped on her best ‘time to fight’ grin as she plowed her way into the gym. Raising her hands to greet the small but fiercely dedicated crowd, the fireplug brunette thanked everyone for their patience with a brawny double bicep flex. Worries washing away in that tide of cheers, the Pitbull broke into a quick jog down the aisle (in this case simply a wide clearing between two sections of seats) and made a circuit around the ring to slap hands with everyone who extended one in her direction. Finishing at the steps, she hurried up to the apron, grabbed the top rope in both hands and vaulted into a gorgeous front flip that landed her smack dab in the middle of the ring. Even cooler, it flipped the hood of her red vest up onto her head, a slick little bit of physics that never failed to pop the crowd.
RITA CARRICK:
Flicking the hood back down after another bicep flex, Rita unzipped her vest and tossed it to the referee, leaving her clad in a maroon two piece consisting of boy cut trunks and matching halter top that looks like her vest, albeit shrunken down by almost two-thirds. As curious as the rest of the crowd as to the identity of her opposition, Carrick backed into the far corner and offered her wrists, knees and feet (clad in red pads and white boots respectively) to the official without once taking her eyes off the double doors.
After several moments of silence, the sound system kicked in again, this time with a song Rita eventually recognized as ‘Heavy Is The Head’ by Zac Brown. The name was just flitting across the front of her mind when the Announcer added to the mystery. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from the deepest recesses of your feeble little mind, she stands at five feet four inches and weighs in at one hundred and twenty-five pounds, she is the inscrutable, the unanswerable, CIPHER!”
The doors swung open and Rita’s opposition stepped into view. Whoever the chick was, she came from the same mold as Carrick herself, probably even a bit stronger, if judging by the compact power radiating from her shoulders, biceps and thighs. Which wasn’t to say Rita was intimidated in the slightest, she was already certain she was faster than her opponent and she was fairly confident she could match her power game as well.
Down at the other end of the gymnasium, the woman calling herself Cipher raised a hand and made a minor adjustment to the black luchadora mask that covered all save her mouth and her hair. She’d been training in it for the better part of a week now, but she couldn’t say she was used to it just yet. Even so, there was a Pitbull in desperate need of some training and Emily had no intention of making her wait. Strike that, Carrick could wait as long as it took her to make the slow, measured walk to the ring.
This gave the UPPW regulars a chance to take in Cipher’s attire, which was, in a word, arresting. Aside from the aforementioned mask, her one-piece, done in a chessboard patterned black & white was cut high on the hips, low in the back and scooped in the front to reveal an impressive bit of décolletage. Her elbow and knee pads were matte black (the latter emblazoned with blood red question marks) while her boots were the same black & white as her one-piece. Such a display converted a handful of fans right off to bat, not that Cipher paid their moronic burblings and yammerings the slightest bit of attention.
Circling around to the Announcer once she’d cleared the aisle, Emily plucked the mic from his grasp and headed for the steps. Silencing the music with a single raised finger, the Mistress of Mystery deigned to waste a few precious breaths explaining her motives to these mouth breathers. “I have come to this dismal, forgotten backwater of a town,” she paused as boos rained down, “because I’ve been told there’s a certain beast, a certain… pitbull, that has been deemed worthy of my attention. But what has my long, crashingly dull journey yielded thus far?” Cipher stepped through the ropes and swept an expansive hand toward Rita. “Nothing more than a yapping puppy, one who’s exuberance leads to obnoxious accidents on the rug. And yet,” Cipher tapped her chin, “I see a glimmer of potential in her mindless wriggling. There may yet be a ferocious fighter somewhere in there, but first I’ll have to BREAK her of all those obnoxious habits.”
She didn’t bother to wait for the boos to die down this time. “Prepare yourself, puppy. Housetraining begins now and you WILL be brought to heel.” With that she tossed the mic to the ref and backed into her corner to await the opening bell.
There were well under a hundred people in the Calumet High gymnasium that late July evening, but damned if they didn’t do a pitch perfect impression of the FAWN Arena when the bell sounded and the Pitbull charged out to meet her mysterious adversary. Mildly surprised by Carrick’s aggressive approach, Emily came out of her corner a heartbeat or two later and immediately angled right to keep the other woman from cutting off the ring. But Rita adjusted her trajectory and kept on coming, her hands raised to shoulder level for the inevitable clinch. West made a quick calculation, set her heels and promptly launched herself at the local favorite to initiate the Collar & Elbow even earlier than expect-
”UUUNNGGGHH!” Rita pivoted her left shoulder at Em, wrapped that arm around the back of her skull and slapped on a tight Side Headlock even as she thrust her hip into West’s gut and slung her to the mat with a booming Headlock Takedown!
“You’re in a real dogfight now, weirdo!” Carrick locked her hands and bore down on Emily’s temples hard enough to get a groan from the veteran. “Better be ready for the fight of your life or you’re gonna wind up as so much kibblUUUUFFFFFHHHHH!”
The masked lovely popped her hips, kicked both legs up and caught Rita around the neck in a Headscissors. Rita ‘eeeped’ as the Headlock gave way and she was dragged to the mat with the point of her chin wedged into pit of the taller woman’s knee. “You’re the one who needs to prepare yourself, dogface.” West spoke in a tone both arrogant and mysterious, she wanted the crowd and her opponent riled up in equal measure. “Otherwise I’ll embarrass you without breaking a sweat, and where’s the challenge in--”
Carrick rocked back on her shoulders, drew both knees up as high as she could and kipped loose of the Scissors in one powerful motion. ‘Cipher’ scrambled up only a half second behind yet even that was enough time for Rita to greet her with a quick Clothesline across the chest. It hit flush but Emily had taken plenty of Clotheslines throughout her career and she was back to boot leather in an inst--cheers from the UPPW faithful as the Pitbull clamped on her second Side Headlock and dumped West on the mat with a takedown even brawnier than the first.
“So, you’re supposed to be like what, puzzling, or something?” Carrick chided amidst putting the squeeze to the other brunette’s skull. “Because right now you’re looking pretty basic to OH NO YA DONNNGGGGHHHHH!”
Emily made the ingénue pay with the same Headscissors as before, only this time she grabbed hold of Rita’s left wrist and pulled it away from her torso in a simple Armbar. Tucking the immobilized limb under her left armpit, West sent several hard pulses through the Scissors to see if her foe engineered another immediate escape. When she didn’t, Em applied that much more pressure AND drew some local rancor by tapping the tip of Carrick’s nose. “I always find it’s better to start small when training dumb animals.” she said this loudly enough for the whole gym to hear. “Now that I know you can understand the basics, why don’t you just go ahead and tap the mat. Go ahead, be a good doggy.”
Of course Carrick wasn’t going to surrender, that’s why West buried her free hand in the struggling battler’s hair and tugged as hard as she could! “OOOOWWWWWW! HAIR, REF! SHE’S PULLING MY HAIR!” Rita kicked her heels against the canvas and pounded angry little hammer punches into Em’s thigh until the ref swooped in to investigate. Emily’d stopped pulling by then, indeed she was gently raking her fingers through the other woman’s locks well before the zebra could witness anything incriminating.
“Just checking her for fleas and ticks.” West explained with a teasing smile. “They’re just so bad this time of year and you know this one, she’ll just roll through anyWHOAH!”
Carrick grabbed her attacker’s left ankle in her free hand and pushed up in a short, savage little burst. The Headscissors didn’t exactly pop wide open, but with Cipher’s ankles no longer locked she was able to slip out and rise to one knee. Pwak! Pwak! PWAK! Rita drilled a trio of straight right hands into the other brunette’s belly, then swung a leg over to claim the mount and helped herself to a big ‘ol handful of hair.
“All right Rita, let’s keep it clean! Off the hair!” the official warned as the enigmatic newcomer screeched for assistance.
Carrick didn’t bother to answer the ref, she’d already balled her other hand into a fist and proceeded to unleash a brisk flurry of punches to her brunette’s forehead. Those fans that’d seen Cipher pull their girl’s hair cheered the beatdown heartily, then booed just as loudly when the official started a count. The girl from the UP might’ve been a rookie in terms of actual ring time, but her timing was down pat, as evidenced by the way she managed to land another half dozen blows by the time the ref hit ‘FOUR!’
“You got guts baby, I’ll give you that much.” Rita grabbed hold of Cipher’s left wrist, used it like a tether to peel her off the mat. “It’s not just anybody who stomps into this junkyard and smacks the Pitbull across the nose. But you know what I do to chicks who try to embarrass me?” She twined her fingers with Cipher’s and pushed forward, using the Greco-Roman Knucklelock to put serious strain on her opponent’s wrist.
Emily shook her head ‘no’ when the ref moved in, just in case he was dumb enough to ask for her surrender. Once he’d been dealt with she focused on Carrick and grunted, “From what I’ve seen so far you probably roll over for a belly rubBERRRRGGGHHHH!”
ARM WRENCH SLAM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60G0wN8I0Q
Rita stepped back and to the side so that she was positioned directly to the older brunette’s left. In the same breath she twisted under the exposed arm and landed flat on her belly while the unexpected visitor was THWHUMPED down on her back. Emily grit her teeth and rolled onto her right hip to turn her back on Carrick and thus afford her arm a semblance of extra protection. But a semblance was all it was, she hadn’t even started to massage the ache away when Rita took hold of her left wrist and pinned it up between her shoulders in a Hammerlock.
“Got a better answer now that your arm belongs to me, Cipher?”
“I’ll have my arm back anytime I want it.” Emily muttered as she worked herself to a seat. “And I’ll have you doing your business on the paper by the time the bell soundSSSEEERRGGGGGHH!”
“Mouthy little punk, aren’t you?” Carrick jerked up on the Hammerlock, forcing the tips of Emily’s fingers to brush the nape of her neck. “Is that what the mask is for? Keep it on all night long so you can slink off without anyone seeing tearsHEY!”
Em reached back with her free hand, palmed the back of Rita’s head and pulled her close enough to keep the shorter wrestler distracted while she clambered to verticality. Satisfied with her command of the situation in spite of the painful joint-lock, Emily walked them both to the ropes. Everyone expected Cipher to grab hold for a break, so you can understand their confusion when she dipped her knees and slid between the top and middle strands. It wasn’t until she was on the apron that the masked woman twisted loose of the Hammerlock and applied one of her own. Only the presence of the ropes meant Rita’s left arm was wrapped around the middle and judging from the pained wince on her face it was not a particularly pleasant experience.
“Mask isn’t for my benefit, puppy, it’s all for you.” Cipher cooed as she tried to crush the rubber-coated steel with her foe’s forearm, bicep and elbow. “I didn’t want the big, bad Pitbull to turn tail and run when she saw who came strolling into her yard.
“You’re not good… or ugly enough to make me run, sister.” Carrick countered through clenched teeth. “Now let go, I’m in the ropes!”
The official agreed with Rita and started a count which Emily did in fact honor, but not until she’d pulled Rita’s captured wrist (not to mention her hair) all the way through ‘FOUR!’
“All right, all right, all right!” Emily huffed to the official when she relinquished the Hammerlock. “Your precious little puppy is safe, stop whining to NNGGHHH!” Hands raised to better prove her innocence to the meddling zebra, West left herself open to the vengeful Haymaker Rita PWAAAAKED across her jaw.
Give the ref credit, he immediately scolded the local girl for using the closed hand, but it was small comfort to Emily because Carrick cupped the back of her head in one hand and unleashed a flurry of Forearm Smashes across her forehead with the other. Switching over to a hair-hold of her own once the initial flurry was done, Rita jerked her foe’s noggin back n’ forth and growled, “You’re in for it now, baby girl. I’m gonna maul you until the ref pulls me off!”
Quick to deliver on this promise of violence, the red-clad fireplug ran along the edge of the squared circle, forcing West to follow along on the other side. With the corner rapidly approaching, Rita increased her speed and slung her prey toward a jarring headfirst collision with the top turnbuck-- Em kicked a leg up and braced it against the steel post to stop herself short by several crucial inches.
Now it was Carrick’s turn to be surprised and West capitalized on her momentary confusion by snatching a double fistful of hair. BWUNG! BWUNG! BWUNG! She bounced Rita’s forehead off the roughly padded steel three times in rapid succession, then followed with a European Uppercut that sent the tyro reeling away in a stunned lurch. Through the ropes in a trice now that she had a little breathing room, West loped after the retreating youngster and clouted her across the base of the neck with a heavy Double Axehandle.
The Pitbull groaned and stumbled hard but otherwise kept her footing, which meant Emily didn’t have to waste a single second hauling her upright. Instead she went straight for Carrick’s left wrist and pinned it between her shoulders with another Hammerlock. In the same breath she grabbed hold of Rita’s hair and twisted her around so she was pointing toward the masked battler, albeit doubled over and looking at the canvas. Carrick’s mind had barely registered this new arrangement when Cipher kicked her left foot out from under and dropped to her back in a single smooth motion. The result saw Rita land hard on her left shoulder, the normally tenacious Pitbull momentarily slowed to groaning hurt while she massaged the worst of the pain from her throbbing joint.
HAMMERLOCK ARMBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSflE_ZMWg
Seated comfortably beside the prone brunette, Emily made a minor adjustment to her mask, then said, “I’ve never been very interested in mauling, puppy. It’s too quick, too unimaginative. Vivisection however, that’s something I can get behind.” She didn’t bother to wait for a reply, instead going back to a two-handed grip on Rita’s left wrist. A few hard tugs made the younger brunette far more open to the idea of struggling to her feet but when she tried to squirm loose Cipher reapplied the Hammerlock with enough torque to put Rita up on her toes. “Ask her.” Em told the ref with a smirk. “She clearly wants to quit, she’s just too proud to do it unbiddOOOOOWWWW!”
Carrick raised her right foot and STAMPED on her attacker’s toes. “Just keep running your mouth, punk.” Rita put all her weight on her stampin’ foot to keep West’s boot pinned in place. “Cuz you’re not gonna be able to say anything when you’re sobbing for mercy!” Carrick grrrrrrrrround her heel back n’ forth, then reached back with her right hand and snatched hold of Cipher’s dark locks. “Now let go of my hanDRRRGGGHH!”
Emily halved the Hammerlock but only to curl that hand into a fist, which promptly found its way into the other brunette’s ribs. “Your paw belongs to me now, puppy. You’re not getting it back until I’m done with it.”
Rita grunted some indecipherable response that Emily ignored, she was already focused on the next phase of tonight’s experiment. Knees slightly bent, West slung Carrick’s right arm across her shoulders and hooked her right arm under the Pitbull’s right thigh in a loose cradle. Sensing something unpleasant on the horizon for their heroine, the fans urged Rita to fight free, but Em’s last body shot had immobilized her quite effectively. And so Carrick could only stand there sucking wind until the Amazing Academic muscled her up onto her left shoulder, a perch she occupied until Emily kicked a leg forward and laid out on her back. A Backdrop Suplex was effective enough in its original state, adding a Hammerlock made it that much more devastating, as Rita leaned when she THWHAMMED down on the pinioned limb with all her weight.
HAMMERLOCK BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1phJlgdiw4
“Nnnnnngggggghhh… goddammit!” Rita sat up and would’ve set to work rubbing the kinks from her poor arm if Emily hadn’t grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her down flat. Settling over the younger grappler’s chest in a snug Crossbody, West hooked the far leg tight and nodded along for…
ONE…
TWO…
Rita kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ a show of muscular defiance that assuaged the fears of her worried fans. Emily was quite pleased by her opponent’s reserves, Cipher on the other hand was patently unimpressed. “I keep hearing a lot of scary barking, but I’ve been strutting around this ring all night with not even a sweat to show for it. Are you really supposed to be the toughest wrestler this forgotten backwater has to offer?”
Rita frowned, her brow furrowing in anger rather than pain. “Careful now, sweetheart. Talk trash about the UP and I’ll OOOOWWWW SHIT! LET GO OF MY ARM!”
No such luck, Emily had the Hammerlock hooked in yet again and it proved a perfect tether for leading the other brunette back to boot leather. Dipping under Carrick’s right arm to get out in front while still maintaining control over her opponent’s arm, the incognito queen threaded her free arm between Rita’s legs and ‘hupped’ her onto her right shoulder. “Her arm belongs to me now!” Cipher bragged to those assembled as she strutted around the ring with Rita draped over her shoulder like a bag of laundry. “Good thing too, I’m always breaking these damned things!” The thinly-disguised threat was drawing fresh boos when Em pushed onto her toes and dropped to one knee, just THWHUNKING Rita’s left shoulder into the posted joint.
SHOULDERBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDL880wjFo
Carrick shouted in pain and rolled onto her right side to prevent a quick cover. It worked in that regard only because West wasn’t concerned with finishing the match in five minutes. Once again filling her hands with the Pitbull’s dark, slightly damp hair, Emily pulled her to a seat and slid in close enough to wrap her legs around Carrick’s waist. “So you want your arm, excuse me, arms, back?” Cipher asked her question even as she trapped Rita’s arms behind her back in a stereo Hammerlock. “You’re more than welcome to them, if you can take them from me. If you can’t…” Emily leaned in so close that Carrick’s arms were pinned between their snug frames. Both arms free, she reached around the brunette’s biceps and locked her hands between opposing breasts. “I’m going to keep playing with them. I’m going to keep playing with YOU, puppy.” Then she squeeeeezed down on the Bear Hug and Bodyscissors, the pair of simple holds forcing a pained gasp from the wriggling Pitbull.
Knowing damned well that she shouldn’t waste so much as a word when she was locked in such a domineering hold, Rita found she couldn’t help herself. “I may have underestimated you a bit honey.” she moaned. “That’s my fault and now I’m paying for it. But you keep poking me and YOU’RE gonna pay for it.”
Emily snorted amusement in her ear. “More barking from an ill-tempered beast. You talk a great game, too bad you haven’t learned to play NNNNGGHHH!”
Rita snapped her head backward, THUNKING the curve of her skull against the bridge of Cipher’s nose in a rude Headbutt. That single shot was enough to free Carrick’s wrists from the Hammerlock, yet none of the regulars begrudged her the second Headbutt in the slightest. (Truth be told a great deal of them encouraged her to land a third or even fourth) But two was enough for the Pitbull and once her hands were free she braced them against the sides of Cipher’s knees and pushed down. This loosened the Scissors instead of breaking them outright and allowed Rita to scramble around in an awkward half circle to face her opposition.
“You got strong legs and you know how to work a Hammerlock better than anyone I’ve ever wrestled.” Carrick admitted to the watery-eyed battler. “But baby, nobody clamps down like the Pitbull!”
Emily would’ve offered up a counterpoint if she’d had the time, but Rita immediately slipped her arms around the other woman’s waist (taking pains to go under her arms, West noted with some approval) and bore down on brawny Bear Hug! The cheer that went up from those assembled seemed to suggest they thought Cipher would surrender at any second. Emily put that foolish notion to rest when she grabbed hold of Carrick’s shoulders and pushed up off her tush to squeeeeeeeeeeze the Bodyscissors all the tighter! “You may have the most dangerous jaws of any animal within a hundred miles,” Cipher noted as she gouged well-manicured talons into Rita’s tensed shoulders, “unfortunately you’re still caught in a Bear Trap. And that trap always wins, little beastGGUUUUHHHHHHHHH!”
Carrick cinched up on her grip, drew Em in chest-to-chest and poured on the pressure. “You’re strong.” Rita’s voice was a whispery shade of its usual self, proof positive that West’s Scissors were eating into her defenses. “You’re just not as strong as meRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!”
Emily hated to take the outer Hug in a contest such as this, so instead of wasting energy working through the younger woman’s coil, she simply cinched her arms around the back of Carrick’s noggin and welcomed her to the cleavage that’d snuffed the best talents FAWN had to offer. She didn’t bother with any lurid scrubbing of slapping, she simply cupped her left elbow with her right hand while her left hand forced Rita’s face into that domineering décolletage. “Strength is nothing but potential energy if you don’t know how you use it, little girl.” Emily rested one cheek against the crown of her foe’s skull so she could better note the groans and wheezes from beneath.
“Perhaps you should surrender before wasting all that potential fighting an inescapable tra-OH WHAT THE HELL?”
No embellishment that, just genuine surprise as Rita Carrick squirmed in place and then clambered to her feet with the visiting star grafted to her chest like a toddler in search of a nap. Give Emily credit, she didn’t change tactics in a panic, in fact she did engage in a little jugg scrubbing and it must’ve done something because Carrick’s knees trembled violently. But the tremors faded away and then it was West’s turn to shiver as the Pitbull pushed up on her toes and went down on one knee to THWHUMP her attacker’s tailbone with an Inverted Atomic Drop.
The jolt through undercarriage finally popped the Scissors, yet the Front Sleeper remained in place and the Amazing Academic doubled down on it once her feet returned to the canvas. “Tap out, Carrick.” she commanded. “Don’t make me jugg you out in front of your entire fanbaAAAAUUUUGGGGHH!”
Rita rose up on tiptoe, took three steps forward and sank into another punishing penance for her opponent’s crotch. The loop around Carrick’s head still didn’t give way entirely, but it loosened enough for the Michigander to twist her head away for some fresh air.
“Luuuuhhhhh…. looks like the Bear Trap fell away.” she said with ragged satisfaction. “But the Pitbull’s still got your weird ass!” Those tenacious jaws sprang open a heartbeat later when the brunette dipped her knees and flung her burden up, over and DOWN onto her back with a very high, very tight, Belly to Belly Suplex. Emily bounced hard and sat up, both to keep her shoulders off the mat and to get a swaddling hand against the small of her sore back.
OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bl0D6xZjQM
She’d barely had time to register the hurt, let alone massage it away, when Carrick grabbed her left wrist in an iron grip and peeled her off the mat. “Seems like you’ve had me tied up or bogged down all night!” Rita stepped away, twisted Cipher’s arm in a wide circle and jerked her into another Bear Hug, albeit one secured around the back of the brunette’s neck and beneath her right arm. Lips close to Cipher’s ear, she added, “But now I’ve got all the room I need to run you to ground.” ‘Ground’ was still coming out of her mouth when Carrick popped her hips and hurled the masked battler onto her back with a ring-shaking Head & Arm Suplex.
HEAD & ARM SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4phjXJExY
West was much slower to sit up this time around, in fact she didn’t so much rise as she did push onto her elbows. No problem for the Pitbull, she was already on her feet and more than happy to fill her hands with the older brunette’s hair. “Up girlie. I said up!”
A brief but vicious bit of tugging earned a yowl from Cipher and a warning from the ref, but it was over before he could even start a count. This was precious little comfort to West, who was desperate to realign her spine after those back to back collisions. Carrick was having none of it though, she pulled the visiting wrestler close and wedged her head under Cipher’s left arm in a voluntary Front Facelock. The Waistlock that followed was anything but voluntary for Emily, not that she was given much time to lament the predicament. Soon as Rita had that S-clamp secured she dropped down low and peeled off a flawless bridge to THWHUMP West onto her back for the third time in less than a minute. Maintaining the bridge after impact, Carrick pushed onto her toes and waited for the…
NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK0M17VnaMg
ONE…
TWO…
Cipher ‘SMACKED!’ her tummy to break the bridge with a whole second to spare. Even with the immediate threat handled, Em decided a bit of recuperation on the outside was necessary so she tucked her arms across her chest and started barrel rolling toward the nearest set of rop--
“NO!” she squealed in rather undignified fashion when Carrick leapt over to interpose herself between the brunette and her exit. “Get out of my way you miserable byNNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Rita hopped up and drove a heel into the pit of her opponent’s stomach, then followed up with three more just to slow Cipher’s roll entirely. “Where do you think you’re going, cutie?” Carrick teased. “You can’t leave until I’m full and frankly, I’m still STARVING!” Too worn from Suplexes and Stomps to offer much in the way of response, West did offer up a protesting moan when the younger woman took possession of wrist and ankle and draaaaaaaagged her right up alongside the ropes. “So close and yet so far!” Rita smirked as she leaned back with her elbows on the top rope. “Although I suppose if you reaaaaaaaaally needed to you could go out to do your business. Can’t have you piddling on the canvas, can we?”
“Suuuhhhh…. savor this moment, pound puppy.” West huffed. “It’ll seem like a distant memory when I’m tying you in OOOOFFFFHHHHH!”
Rita leapt up, leaned backward until her body almost made a ‘T’ with the top rope, then snapped forward and dropped down tummy-first across Em’s midsection with a Splash that THWHAPPED throughout the gymnasium! Hooking the far leg immediately thereafter, Carrick slid her left leg over the brunette’s left gam to make it all the more difficult to escape the…
REBOUND SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6RXUrXV1oI
ONE…
TWO…
Cipher reached out and grabbed hold of the bottom rope to stop the count in its tracks. “Amazing,” Emily sounded amused despite the thorough trouncing she’d absorbed in the last couple of minutes. “Not only were you gifted with the tenacity of a pitbull, you’ve got the brains of one as wellOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Rita joined her hands in a single fist, raised it overhead and brought it WHUMPING down into the pit of her opponent’s stomach. “That was a mistake I won’t make twice.” Carrick noted as she cupped the other brunette’s ears in both hands. “Next time I’ll just spike your ass in the center of the ring.”
On her feet by the time that promise left her lips, Rita hauled Cipher up alongside and did indeed march her out to the middle of the squared circle. Still in control of her foe’s head with that mean-spirited but perfectly legal ear grasp, Carrick kept Cipher doubled over, making her a perfect target for the series of Kneelifts unleashed on her tummy and chest. The crowd, who’d been out of their seats ever since the Pitbull regained control of the match, punctuated each body-shivering blow with a loud ‘WOOF!’ that brought a smile to Rita and increased her pace in a single stroke.
Most of the women Carrick hit with these knees were down on all fours after less than five shots, but Cipher was still up and she was well beyond a baker’s dozen. Torn between a desire to smash the masked weirdo to her knees and the need to maintain her energy for the rest of the match, Rita pounded out six more Kneelifts in a chugging left-right-left sequence, then shifted to a Muy Thai clasp across the back of the neck and hopped up to THUNK both knees into Cipher’s forehead!
DOUBLE KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWvIMOKlrpo
Emily reared back on her heels, stumbled into the ropes and bounced out, the woozy Brainiac unable to secure an anchor before the rubber-coated traitors bounced her back into the waiting maw of the Pitbull. “NNNNNGGGGGHHHH!” West threw her head back in a wheezing groan as Carrick caught her in a Waistlock and muscled her off the mat as a captive of the strongest Bear Hug she’d felt in quite a while. Mind racing along as it always did in the heat of battle, Em grabbed her attacker’s shoulders for a little leverage and angled her shins against Carrick’s thighs for a little more. That was it for the moment, painful though the hold was, she thought she could hold on long enough to take the younger woman’s meas-- “GUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!”
Rita bounced in place, forcing that much more air from Emily’s lungs. “You’re tougher than the other girls who’ve answered the open challenge.” Carrick murmured as she angled her cheek against Cipher’s chest to prevent a replay of the Front Sleeper. “Hell, most of them would’ve needed the ref to scrape them off the mat after I hit that Splash. Not you though, puzzle-head. You’re built as strong, ok, ALMOST as strong as me and you worked my arm like a sadist. So tell me sweetie, how come I’ve never heard of NNNNGGGHHH!”
The Amazing Academic slipped her legs around Carrick’s thighs and punished the Bear Hug with a heavy Bodyscissors. Rita shook her head, surprised and angry that Cipher was still able to produce such a squeeze when trapped inside her own coil. “We played this game before, Cipher. You lost, remembNGH! NGH! NGH!”
The Scissors had created a little space between the brunettes and Emily used it to her advantage by THWHAPPING a handful of Forearm Smashes across Carrick’s exposed face. “I spotted you a few points, pound puppy.” West grunted after she felt the bands around her hips loosen, “Doesn’t mean you won anyEERRRRGGGGHH!”
Rita pounded a Headbutt between Cipher’s eyes, then followed with another to break the Scissors. Far from a reprieve, West’s situation grew considerably worse when Carrick wedged her right hand between the FAWN star’s thighs and braced her left hand against Em’s chest. West had encountered some powerful Lightweights in her day (Wendy Smith came immediately to mind) but if she’d ever wrestled a woman under a hundred and thirty pounds who could hoist her into a Military Press with no noticeable effort, West couldn’t recall.
Holding the masked battler at full extension, Rita turned in a slow circle so that everyone in the Calumet Gym could get a good look (or picture) then stopped on the rowdiest section and shouted, “SHE STARTED OFF TOUGH, BUT IN THE END SHE’S JUST LIKE ALL THE REST! DOG FOOD!”
On the heels of this she tossed the captive brunette up and took two steps forward, giving Cipher just enough room to plummet to the mat with a cringe-inducing THAWHAM! Bounced onto her back by the force of the landing, the Black Queen sucked in a deep breath that was expelled the instant Carrick flipped up, over and down, a gorgeous Standing Moonsault that crushed even more air from her prey’s lungs. Stretched out snug across her opponent’s heaving chest, Rita hooked the far leg and pushed up onto her toes while the referee counted…
MILITARY PRESS & STANDING MOONSAULT @ 1:42
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMc9fID4ono
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Cipher shot a shoulder up with half a second to spare and Carrick had to stop herself from pounding a frustrated fist against the mat. Instead she showed three fingers to the official, who answered with two. Rita saw he looked as surprised as she felt, which was at least some comfort. She drew more comfort from the double handful of hair she used to jerk Cipher back to wobbly verticality.
“That’s it, weirdo. It’s time you found out how it feels when the Pitbull comes for you full speed ahead.”
Satisfying though the hair-hold was, it wouldn’t do for what came next, so Carrick switched over to a Wristlock and hurled West at a corner so hard she barely managed to turn around before BWUUUNGING spine-first into the top turnbuckle. Throwing an arm over the top rope was out of the question, there was simply too much momentum leftover for Em to do anything other than stagger away from the scene of the crash. Unable to decide if she was impressed or irritated with the older brunette’s resilience, Rita stepped in and hooked her right arm behind Cipher’s left leg. Her left arm went over the masked grappler’s right shoulder. Hooks set, Carrick popped her hips and twisted at the apex not for a Suplex, but an emphatic T-Bone Power Slam that THWHAMMED Emily down flat on her back! Snagging Cipher’s far leg while the ring was still shivering, Rita rolled into a back-press atop her opponent’s chest and nodded her head in time with the…
T-BONE POWER SLAM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44nxOCSWuU
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Cipher shrugged loose and turned onto her side while the whole of the gymnasium went nuts with a mix of admiration and disbelief. Sitting with her back to the flattened brunette, Carrick smoothed her hair out with both hands and calmed her nerves with a slow inhale / exhale. So Cipher had more in the tank than the other girls in UPPW, that was fine, Rita’d been clamoring for a challenge for months, she wasn’t about to start pouting whining now that she finally had one.
Even so, the astute observer noticed a bit more yank than was absolutely necessary when it came time for the Pitbull to pluck her opponent from the mat. No theatrics this time around, Carrick simply scooped Cipher up, positioned her accordingly and deposited her back on the thinly-sheathed plywood courtesy of the Scoop Slam. Heading for the corner as soon as Cipher was out of her hands, Rita boosted herself into a perch on the second rope and raised her right arm seemingly in anticipation of a Diving Elbow Drop. But something better must’ve crossed her mind at the last second because instead of an Elbow, Carrick hopped up and twisted around to land on the top rope with her back facing the ring. In the next instant she dipped her knees and leapt backward into the void with a gorgeous Moonsault that would’ve made her personal highlight reel if Cipher hadn’t rolled clear!
MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeUpqcHSeng
THAWHAM! Rita hit the vacated canvas full force and bounced up clutching her now roiling midsection. The crowd pleaded for Carrick to rise as quick as she could but it was the mysterious visitor who took the advice to heart. Shoveling her own aches to one side to better take advantage of the miscue, Cipher clambered to her feet and pounded one, two, three, Elbow Smashes into the crown of her penitent opponent’s forehead. Rita moaned, shoved away Em’s hands as best she could, then grabbed her by the hips and started to rise.
West didn’t resist the efforts, in fact she cupped the younger woman’s ears and tugged up to speed the process along. Unfortunately for Rita she didn’t get to savor her newfound verticality for more than a heartbeat or two before Cipher crouched and hooked an arm between her thighs. The Fireman’s Carry that followed earned a round of boos from the locals, but like their heroine they weren’t given much time to come to terms with this new arrangement. Because as soon as Carrick was up Emily tossed her off, the camouflaged Queen dropping straight onto her back and drawing both knees across her chest to provide the Pitnull with the most unpleasant of landings. THWHUMP!
DOUBLE KNEE GUTBUSTER @ 00:27
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PmoPnOmBKo
“Unnnnngghhhh faaaaahhhk!” Rita’s formerly confident tone was nothing but an echo of earlier strength, and yet she was far from powerless, as evidenced by the way she stood up and staggered away before West could corral her for a cover. Muttering something unkind under her breath, the Insidious Intellectual regained her feet and glanced around the squared circle in an attempt to ascertain the best angle of-- Emily found what she wanted and smiled, the expression a gleaming crescent made all the brighter by her dark mask.
Starting after her winded opposition, West made a sharp turn and ran the ropes directly left of Carrick’s position. Give it up to the loyal fans of UPPW, they stood tall and roared for Rita to get dive clear of whatever nastiness the enigmatic newcomer had in mind. Alas, the sudden explosion of sound drew Rita’s attention in the direction of the approaching danger, leaving those assembled to groan in sympathetic hurt when Emily THWHAPPED the younger brunette across the chest with a huge Lariat. Nearly turned inside out by the force of the blow, Carrick landed hard on her head and right shoulder.
LARIAT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ITkzC4v_k
She might’ve stayed there for a good long while if Cipher hadn’t snagged her at shoulder and hip and muscled her onto her back for a snug Crossbody. Careful to hook the far leg even though she thought the ingénue was out cold, Em put her free hand against Carrick’s cheek, all the better to force her head to one side while the ref counted…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Sighs of relief followed by raucous cheers from the faithful as the red-clad battler escaped defeat by the slimmest of margins. West has long ago trained herself not to question the referee’s count even the wake of the most wrongheaded calls you could imagine and she didn’t question this one either but it took an almost preternatural effort of will. “I’ve encountered more than a dozen women who’ve used the ‘pitbull’ moniker during the course of my career, Rita Carrick.” Emily noted after she’d picked herself off the canvas. “And none of them embodied that single-minded tenacity half as well as you.”
Rita grimaced, rolled onto her belly and pushed to all fours without giving any sign that she’d heard the older woman’s comment. “That’s why I’m going to put you down so hard. Anything less would be a disservice to your efforts tonight.”
Only vaguely aware of the crowd over the painful ringing in her ears, Carrick was completely oblivious to West, which explained the look of abject surprise on her pretty face when Em stepped in behind and snaked her right arm around opposing throat. Cupping her left bicep even as she drew the Pitbull close, Emily braced her left palm against the curve of Rita’s skull and cinched in the Sleeper with all her might. Securing the Sleeper was like touching a live wire to Carrick’s back, she jolted forward and immediately started stamping toward the ropes. Nonplussed by the sudden jolt of adrenaline, (she’d seen and subdued similar reactions in Shea London on more than one occasion) West kept on her prey, then twisted her hips and angled Carrick back toward center when she drew a little too close to release.
As of yet unaware that she was being tightly controlled, the sturdy little powerhouse tried for the strands three more times before she realized the predicament. Slowing her march to the merest trickle, Rita reached for the ropes with one hand, but lowered it the moment her arm started growing heavy. Oh so careful to keep her chin clear of the struggling woman’s skull, the Amazing Academic cooed, “A noble effort, puppy, but this is one mystery doomed to elude you. Now take heed of my kindness and tap out so you can leave the ring under your own powNNNNGGGHHH!”
Rita crooked her right arm into a ‘V’ and pounded her elbow into Cipher’s ribs like she was shanking the snitch in the final act of a prison movie. Emily bared her teeth, put that much more torque on the Sleeper and did her own pitbull impression by shaking her prey back n’ forth for a good five seconds. That brief bit of ragdolling reduced Carrick’s elbow assault to a firm grip on the older brunette’s encroaching bicep, yet there was still a bit too much squeeze in that resistance for Emily’s liking.
“You’re trapped, Carrick!” Don’t make me put you out in front of the entire towOOOWWWW BYTCH!”
Rita raised her left foot and STAMPED down on Emily’s toes, taking great pains to grind her heel on opposing boot. As if that wasn’t enough, she reached back with both hands and filled ‘em with Cipher’s dark locks. “Lrrrrrrhhh…. let me GO!” Carrick gurgled, her efforts to free herself not at all stymied by the official’s count. “Drrrrhhhhh… leggo before I NNNNNGGGGGGGGHHH!”
Emily did as bade while Rita’s claws were still tangled in her hair. That meant the Pit-Bull was essentially defenseless when the Black Queen curled her right hand into a fist and PWAAAKED it against her liver. Rita’s knees went sludgy but Emily spun her in a half circle before she could crumple to the canvas. The slumping ingénue went nose deep in her cleavage and then Em coiled her arms around the back of Carrick’s head and pulled her in the rest of the way. Now, the Front Sleeper was common enough in FAWN, but it was still rarity enough in other environs to draw gasps of shock when Cipher sank it in.
Chief among the surprised was Rita herself, who wasted valuable oxygen in a shriek that did nothing but reverberate off Em’s vaunted rack. Even blinded and smothered Carrick didn’t give up, the insanely tenacious brunette pounding punch after punch after punch into her tormentor’s ribs. Five minutes ago, perhaps even two, they might’ve been enough to free her from Cipher’s trap, but the first stint in the Sleeper had taken the snap off her punches and they were getting softer with each passing second. After fifteen seconds the punches turned to slaps. By twenty-three, the slaps were nothing more than gentle shoves and at the thirty second mark Rita’s hands were twitching fitfully at her sides.
Emily felt Carrick’s knees go and was tempted to follow her to the canvas but ultimately decided on a more direct course. Breaking the Sleeper with no fanfare, West collected her foe’s head in a Front Facelock and quickly slung the near arm over her shoulders. A handful of red togs provided all the leverage needed to muscle Carrick all the way to high noon and then she was on her way straight down, West forgoing her usual stall to just THWHUNK Rita’s skull into the canvas with a sickening Snap Brainbuster. The Pitbull popped open in a boneless sprawl that offered not a single jot of resistance when Cipher floated over into a cover and cradled the far leg. The reaction in the Calumet gym was decidedly mixed, a good portion of those assembled bellowed for Rita to kick out while the others joined the ref in counting off…
SNAP BRAINBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=snkQqMhlx90
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Emily dropped Carrick’s gam, slowly got to her feet and tapped her wrist to make sure the ref hoisted it high before the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall after sixteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds of grueling action… CIPHER!”
The jeers were almost universal, but West noted a subtle undercurrent of approval beneath the disdain and thusly knew she’d made an impression. Of course that was just the audience, the real focus of this experiment was sprawled behind her and the Insidious Intellectual was far more interested in making sure she had the Pitbull’s undivided attention. To that end she twisted around, stepped over the other brunette’s hips and sank to a deep crouch all in one motion. “You are an exceptional creature, Rita Carrick.” Cipher murmured as she worked two fingers into her boot and pulled out a tube of black lipstick. “I’ve genuinely enjoyed our skirmishes tonight, both mental and physical. Now that our battle is concluded, I leave you with one final question…” Removing the cap from the lipstick, Em made a slight adjustment, then turned it over and drew a large question mark that started in the center of her opponent’s forehead and ran all the way down the bridge of her nose.
She dotted her unique ‘signature’ on the tip of Carrick’s nose, then asked, “Will you allow this question to vex you forever, or do you have the nerve to try and solve it?” No answer from Rita, which was fine. Em knew the referee would repeat every word to the younger woman once she came around and if for whatever reason he didn’t, there was still the letter she’d left in Dereleth’s office. On her feet once the message was delivered, Emily tucked the lipstick away and placed a boot atop her opponent’s chest, to make sure everyone knew who’d tamed the Pitbull.
The boos kicked up again and Emily smirked, thoroughly enjoying her control of their emotions. She might’ve stayed quite a bit longer if a sudden soft groan from Rita reminded her she wanted / needed to be gone well before the younger woman collected her bearings. “Until we meet again, puppy.” West ground the toe of her boot into Carrick’s cleavage. “I do hope you’re as good at tracking as you are at barking.”
With that she slipped out of the ring and quickly made her way from the gymnasium to the locker room, where she stayed just long enough to throw a sweatshirt and yoga pants over her ring attire. Still masked, Cipher grabbed her bag and practically ran to the old man’s Buick provided by the rental company.
A sudden clamor from the direction of the double doors told her the show was officially over (‘of course it was, no way they’d ever top that‘) so West threw her bag in the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. Smiling as she caught sight of the Cipher mask staring back at her from the rearview, Emily turned the ignition and glided out of the Calumet High School parking lot. A little ways down the road she turned on the radio and got an oldies station out of Marquette playing CCR. Absurdly pleased with the appropriately heelish selection, Emily turned the speakers up and rolled the windows down to properly sing along.
"I hear hurricanes a blowing.
I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin."
She didn’t take off the Cipher mask until she crossed into Wisconsin.
********
Back at Calumet High…
“What do you mean she’s gone?” an incredulous Rita Carrick asked an equally surprised Jack Dereleth. “You mean she didn’t even stick around long enough to collect her paycheck?”
The promoter nodded and shrugged his shoulders simultaneously, an innately goofy expression that did nothing to ease the young woman’s bewilderment. “C’mon Jack, you can’t NOT know who she is! I might’ve bought it if she was some chump that I put down in five minutes, but I’ve wrestled every great talent in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin during the last couple of years and she’s better than all of them! Whoever she is, she’s not local. Now I don’t mind losing, but I DO mind some stranger strutting into my backyard, spiking me on my head and then disappearing before I can ask for a rematch. Level with me, who is she and where is she headed?”
Jack shrugged again but at least this time he refrained from shaking his head. “Seriously Rita, I don’t know. You know Carrie had to drop out with less than a day’s notice, when Cipher showed up at my office with a solid sizzle reel and a reference from Kent Allard, I--”
Carrick’s eyes narrowed and she held up a hand. “Wait, Kent Allard? The archivist from FAWN?”
Dereleth nodded, happy to provide some answer a little more useful than ‘I don’t know’. “Yeah, that’s him. He had nothing but good things to say about her and since you and she had similar builds there was no way I could turn it down, right? Look, I’m sorry she beat you and I’m REALLY sorry if you think I brought in some ringer to drum up some interest, but if she was anyone I knew don’t you think I would’ve promoted the hell out of it?”
Carrick sighed, ran a hand through her hair and nodded. Dereleth had her there. He was a goof, but the man never missed an opportunity to promote the greatness of UPPW.
Genuinely distressed over his star talent’s frustration, Jack added, “Look, I’ll see if I can’t get in touch with Allard, if anyone knows who’s under that mask, it’d be him. And if he doesn’t, maybe she left a clue in the letter.”
Rita’s mind had drifted away from the conversation but it snapped back at mention of a letter. “There’s a letter?”
“Yeah.” He fished it out of his back pocket and offered it to the Pitbull. “Cipher left it in my office with instructions to hand it over once she’d won the match.”
Carrick damned near snatched it out of his hands. “That weird skank just presumed she was gonna win from the very beginning?” Rita tore the envelope open and quickly removed a single sheet of paper. Holding it at eye level, she murmured, “Just who the hell does she think she…..”
Jack waited for the end of that sentence for more than fifteen seconds. “Ummmh, Rita? Everything ok? What is it? Do you know who she is?”
Carrick reread the note one more time, taking special care to memorize the number written at the bottom. Not quite able to believe the contents, she folded it back up and stuffed it in her hip pocket. Practically dying of curiosity, Dereleth repeated his earlier question. “Well, what is it?”
“It could be one mean-ass joke.” she said thoughtfully. “Or it could be a chance to expand my junkyard well beyond the UP.”
“Just how far are we talking here?”
“Nationwide, Jack. Maybe worldwide. Don’t know yet. Guess I’ll find out in the morning.” Rita started to leave, then stopped and swatted the promoter on the arm. “Sorry I yelled at you. Don’t worry about Cipher, I’m gonna solve this one on my own.”
Jack watched her go and suddenly he was sure the girl he’d dubbed the Pit-Bull wasn’t very long for UPPW. “Hey Rita?”
She stopped and looked over one shoulder. “Yeah Jack?” “There’s gonna be a whole lot more people watching the next time you two wrestle, aren’t there?”
Carrick wanted to grin from ear to ear, but she thought such a show might hurt his feelings and she didn’t want that at all. Instead she settled for a nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
UPPW’s weekly ‘Friday Fight Fest card
Three minutes ‘til Main Event.
In most wrestling promotions the ‘Gorilla Position’ was a small room just off to one side of the curtain leading out into the arena proper. It was a quiet place where talent, producers and road agents alike could catch a moment to themselves before or after any given match. In Upper Peninsula Pro Wrestling however, the Gorilla Position was nothing but a table with a big soundboard wedged into a corner of the home team’s locker room. It was there that local girl made good (or at least, looking to make it good) Rita Carrick struggled to get a satisfactory answer out of Jack Dereleth, head booker for UPPW.
“I’m sorry, Jack.” Rita said this with as little exasperation as possible. “Explain to me one more time why Carrie and I aren’t settling up tonight? We’d had this match booked for a month!”
“Yes, yes we did. And it would’ve gone down as advertised if Carrie hadn’t gotten a call from Bangor last night asking her to fly over for the weekend for a training camp.”
Rita’s dark eyes widened. “Bangor? The Jungle? Dang, I wish they’d call me!” She shook off the pang of disappointment and smiled for Carrie. The girl deserved it, even if she and Rita had been beating each other senseless for the better part of a year. “Ok fine, so Carrie got herself a chance at the bigs? Who does that leave for tonight? Everybody’s but me’s already wrestled once, or twice, in Nancy’s case.”
Jack started to answer before he was interrupted by the blare of the Announcer from the other side of the double doors. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for our Main Event! Introducing first, hailing from right up the road in Copper Harbor, she stands at five feet three inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty-one pounds, she is the Pitbull, RITA CARRICK!”
Rita saw Derleth’s hand drift toward a switch on the soundboard. “Don’t even think about it Jack, not until you tell me who--”
He pressed the switch and the gymnasium was filled with the Beastie Boys’s ‘Sabotage’. The promoter smiled and pointed toward the doors. “Go on, Rita. They’re waiting for ya.”
“But who am I--”
“I don’t know. Bangor sent her as an apology for taking Carrie on such short notice. She’s working under a mask, but they sent a video of her work and you two will match up fine. Now go, go, go!”
Carrick sighed, then slapped on her best ‘time to fight’ grin as she plowed her way into the gym. Raising her hands to greet the small but fiercely dedicated crowd, the fireplug brunette thanked everyone for their patience with a brawny double bicep flex. Worries washing away in that tide of cheers, the Pitbull broke into a quick jog down the aisle (in this case simply a wide clearing between two sections of seats) and made a circuit around the ring to slap hands with everyone who extended one in her direction. Finishing at the steps, she hurried up to the apron, grabbed the top rope in both hands and vaulted into a gorgeous front flip that landed her smack dab in the middle of the ring. Even cooler, it flipped the hood of her red vest up onto her head, a slick little bit of physics that never failed to pop the crowd.
RITA CARRICK:
Flicking the hood back down after another bicep flex, Rita unzipped her vest and tossed it to the referee, leaving her clad in a maroon two piece consisting of boy cut trunks and matching halter top that looks like her vest, albeit shrunken down by almost two-thirds. As curious as the rest of the crowd as to the identity of her opposition, Carrick backed into the far corner and offered her wrists, knees and feet (clad in red pads and white boots respectively) to the official without once taking her eyes off the double doors.
After several moments of silence, the sound system kicked in again, this time with a song Rita eventually recognized as ‘Heavy Is The Head’ by Zac Brown. The name was just flitting across the front of her mind when the Announcer added to the mystery. “And introducing her opponent, hailing from the deepest recesses of your feeble little mind, she stands at five feet four inches and weighs in at one hundred and twenty-five pounds, she is the inscrutable, the unanswerable, CIPHER!”
The doors swung open and Rita’s opposition stepped into view. Whoever the chick was, she came from the same mold as Carrick herself, probably even a bit stronger, if judging by the compact power radiating from her shoulders, biceps and thighs. Which wasn’t to say Rita was intimidated in the slightest, she was already certain she was faster than her opponent and she was fairly confident she could match her power game as well.
Down at the other end of the gymnasium, the woman calling herself Cipher raised a hand and made a minor adjustment to the black luchadora mask that covered all save her mouth and her hair. She’d been training in it for the better part of a week now, but she couldn’t say she was used to it just yet. Even so, there was a Pitbull in desperate need of some training and Emily had no intention of making her wait. Strike that, Carrick could wait as long as it took her to make the slow, measured walk to the ring.
This gave the UPPW regulars a chance to take in Cipher’s attire, which was, in a word, arresting. Aside from the aforementioned mask, her one-piece, done in a chessboard patterned black & white was cut high on the hips, low in the back and scooped in the front to reveal an impressive bit of décolletage. Her elbow and knee pads were matte black (the latter emblazoned with blood red question marks) while her boots were the same black & white as her one-piece. Such a display converted a handful of fans right off to bat, not that Cipher paid their moronic burblings and yammerings the slightest bit of attention.
Circling around to the Announcer once she’d cleared the aisle, Emily plucked the mic from his grasp and headed for the steps. Silencing the music with a single raised finger, the Mistress of Mystery deigned to waste a few precious breaths explaining her motives to these mouth breathers. “I have come to this dismal, forgotten backwater of a town,” she paused as boos rained down, “because I’ve been told there’s a certain beast, a certain… pitbull, that has been deemed worthy of my attention. But what has my long, crashingly dull journey yielded thus far?” Cipher stepped through the ropes and swept an expansive hand toward Rita. “Nothing more than a yapping puppy, one who’s exuberance leads to obnoxious accidents on the rug. And yet,” Cipher tapped her chin, “I see a glimmer of potential in her mindless wriggling. There may yet be a ferocious fighter somewhere in there, but first I’ll have to BREAK her of all those obnoxious habits.”
She didn’t bother to wait for the boos to die down this time. “Prepare yourself, puppy. Housetraining begins now and you WILL be brought to heel.” With that she tossed the mic to the ref and backed into her corner to await the opening bell.
There were well under a hundred people in the Calumet High gymnasium that late July evening, but damned if they didn’t do a pitch perfect impression of the FAWN Arena when the bell sounded and the Pitbull charged out to meet her mysterious adversary. Mildly surprised by Carrick’s aggressive approach, Emily came out of her corner a heartbeat or two later and immediately angled right to keep the other woman from cutting off the ring. But Rita adjusted her trajectory and kept on coming, her hands raised to shoulder level for the inevitable clinch. West made a quick calculation, set her heels and promptly launched herself at the local favorite to initiate the Collar & Elbow even earlier than expect-
”UUUNNGGGHH!” Rita pivoted her left shoulder at Em, wrapped that arm around the back of her skull and slapped on a tight Side Headlock even as she thrust her hip into West’s gut and slung her to the mat with a booming Headlock Takedown!
“You’re in a real dogfight now, weirdo!” Carrick locked her hands and bore down on Emily’s temples hard enough to get a groan from the veteran. “Better be ready for the fight of your life or you’re gonna wind up as so much kibblUUUUFFFFFHHHHH!”
The masked lovely popped her hips, kicked both legs up and caught Rita around the neck in a Headscissors. Rita ‘eeeped’ as the Headlock gave way and she was dragged to the mat with the point of her chin wedged into pit of the taller woman’s knee. “You’re the one who needs to prepare yourself, dogface.” West spoke in a tone both arrogant and mysterious, she wanted the crowd and her opponent riled up in equal measure. “Otherwise I’ll embarrass you without breaking a sweat, and where’s the challenge in--”
Carrick rocked back on her shoulders, drew both knees up as high as she could and kipped loose of the Scissors in one powerful motion. ‘Cipher’ scrambled up only a half second behind yet even that was enough time for Rita to greet her with a quick Clothesline across the chest. It hit flush but Emily had taken plenty of Clotheslines throughout her career and she was back to boot leather in an inst--cheers from the UPPW faithful as the Pitbull clamped on her second Side Headlock and dumped West on the mat with a takedown even brawnier than the first.
“So, you’re supposed to be like what, puzzling, or something?” Carrick chided amidst putting the squeeze to the other brunette’s skull. “Because right now you’re looking pretty basic to OH NO YA DONNNGGGGHHHHH!”
Emily made the ingénue pay with the same Headscissors as before, only this time she grabbed hold of Rita’s left wrist and pulled it away from her torso in a simple Armbar. Tucking the immobilized limb under her left armpit, West sent several hard pulses through the Scissors to see if her foe engineered another immediate escape. When she didn’t, Em applied that much more pressure AND drew some local rancor by tapping the tip of Carrick’s nose. “I always find it’s better to start small when training dumb animals.” she said this loudly enough for the whole gym to hear. “Now that I know you can understand the basics, why don’t you just go ahead and tap the mat. Go ahead, be a good doggy.”
Of course Carrick wasn’t going to surrender, that’s why West buried her free hand in the struggling battler’s hair and tugged as hard as she could! “OOOOWWWWWW! HAIR, REF! SHE’S PULLING MY HAIR!” Rita kicked her heels against the canvas and pounded angry little hammer punches into Em’s thigh until the ref swooped in to investigate. Emily’d stopped pulling by then, indeed she was gently raking her fingers through the other woman’s locks well before the zebra could witness anything incriminating.
“Just checking her for fleas and ticks.” West explained with a teasing smile. “They’re just so bad this time of year and you know this one, she’ll just roll through anyWHOAH!”
Carrick grabbed her attacker’s left ankle in her free hand and pushed up in a short, savage little burst. The Headscissors didn’t exactly pop wide open, but with Cipher’s ankles no longer locked she was able to slip out and rise to one knee. Pwak! Pwak! PWAK! Rita drilled a trio of straight right hands into the other brunette’s belly, then swung a leg over to claim the mount and helped herself to a big ‘ol handful of hair.
“All right Rita, let’s keep it clean! Off the hair!” the official warned as the enigmatic newcomer screeched for assistance.
Carrick didn’t bother to answer the ref, she’d already balled her other hand into a fist and proceeded to unleash a brisk flurry of punches to her brunette’s forehead. Those fans that’d seen Cipher pull their girl’s hair cheered the beatdown heartily, then booed just as loudly when the official started a count. The girl from the UP might’ve been a rookie in terms of actual ring time, but her timing was down pat, as evidenced by the way she managed to land another half dozen blows by the time the ref hit ‘FOUR!’
“You got guts baby, I’ll give you that much.” Rita grabbed hold of Cipher’s left wrist, used it like a tether to peel her off the mat. “It’s not just anybody who stomps into this junkyard and smacks the Pitbull across the nose. But you know what I do to chicks who try to embarrass me?” She twined her fingers with Cipher’s and pushed forward, using the Greco-Roman Knucklelock to put serious strain on her opponent’s wrist.
Emily shook her head ‘no’ when the ref moved in, just in case he was dumb enough to ask for her surrender. Once he’d been dealt with she focused on Carrick and grunted, “From what I’ve seen so far you probably roll over for a belly rubBERRRRGGGHHHH!”
ARM WRENCH SLAM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60G0wN8I0Q
Rita stepped back and to the side so that she was positioned directly to the older brunette’s left. In the same breath she twisted under the exposed arm and landed flat on her belly while the unexpected visitor was THWHUMPED down on her back. Emily grit her teeth and rolled onto her right hip to turn her back on Carrick and thus afford her arm a semblance of extra protection. But a semblance was all it was, she hadn’t even started to massage the ache away when Rita took hold of her left wrist and pinned it up between her shoulders in a Hammerlock.
“Got a better answer now that your arm belongs to me, Cipher?”
“I’ll have my arm back anytime I want it.” Emily muttered as she worked herself to a seat. “And I’ll have you doing your business on the paper by the time the bell soundSSSEEERRGGGGGHH!”
“Mouthy little punk, aren’t you?” Carrick jerked up on the Hammerlock, forcing the tips of Emily’s fingers to brush the nape of her neck. “Is that what the mask is for? Keep it on all night long so you can slink off without anyone seeing tearsHEY!”
Em reached back with her free hand, palmed the back of Rita’s head and pulled her close enough to keep the shorter wrestler distracted while she clambered to verticality. Satisfied with her command of the situation in spite of the painful joint-lock, Emily walked them both to the ropes. Everyone expected Cipher to grab hold for a break, so you can understand their confusion when she dipped her knees and slid between the top and middle strands. It wasn’t until she was on the apron that the masked woman twisted loose of the Hammerlock and applied one of her own. Only the presence of the ropes meant Rita’s left arm was wrapped around the middle and judging from the pained wince on her face it was not a particularly pleasant experience.
“Mask isn’t for my benefit, puppy, it’s all for you.” Cipher cooed as she tried to crush the rubber-coated steel with her foe’s forearm, bicep and elbow. “I didn’t want the big, bad Pitbull to turn tail and run when she saw who came strolling into her yard.
“You’re not good… or ugly enough to make me run, sister.” Carrick countered through clenched teeth. “Now let go, I’m in the ropes!”
The official agreed with Rita and started a count which Emily did in fact honor, but not until she’d pulled Rita’s captured wrist (not to mention her hair) all the way through ‘FOUR!’
“All right, all right, all right!” Emily huffed to the official when she relinquished the Hammerlock. “Your precious little puppy is safe, stop whining to NNGGHHH!” Hands raised to better prove her innocence to the meddling zebra, West left herself open to the vengeful Haymaker Rita PWAAAAKED across her jaw.
Give the ref credit, he immediately scolded the local girl for using the closed hand, but it was small comfort to Emily because Carrick cupped the back of her head in one hand and unleashed a flurry of Forearm Smashes across her forehead with the other. Switching over to a hair-hold of her own once the initial flurry was done, Rita jerked her foe’s noggin back n’ forth and growled, “You’re in for it now, baby girl. I’m gonna maul you until the ref pulls me off!”
Quick to deliver on this promise of violence, the red-clad fireplug ran along the edge of the squared circle, forcing West to follow along on the other side. With the corner rapidly approaching, Rita increased her speed and slung her prey toward a jarring headfirst collision with the top turnbuck-- Em kicked a leg up and braced it against the steel post to stop herself short by several crucial inches.
Now it was Carrick’s turn to be surprised and West capitalized on her momentary confusion by snatching a double fistful of hair. BWUNG! BWUNG! BWUNG! She bounced Rita’s forehead off the roughly padded steel three times in rapid succession, then followed with a European Uppercut that sent the tyro reeling away in a stunned lurch. Through the ropes in a trice now that she had a little breathing room, West loped after the retreating youngster and clouted her across the base of the neck with a heavy Double Axehandle.
The Pitbull groaned and stumbled hard but otherwise kept her footing, which meant Emily didn’t have to waste a single second hauling her upright. Instead she went straight for Carrick’s left wrist and pinned it between her shoulders with another Hammerlock. In the same breath she grabbed hold of Rita’s hair and twisted her around so she was pointing toward the masked battler, albeit doubled over and looking at the canvas. Carrick’s mind had barely registered this new arrangement when Cipher kicked her left foot out from under and dropped to her back in a single smooth motion. The result saw Rita land hard on her left shoulder, the normally tenacious Pitbull momentarily slowed to groaning hurt while she massaged the worst of the pain from her throbbing joint.
HAMMERLOCK ARMBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSflE_ZMWg
Seated comfortably beside the prone brunette, Emily made a minor adjustment to her mask, then said, “I’ve never been very interested in mauling, puppy. It’s too quick, too unimaginative. Vivisection however, that’s something I can get behind.” She didn’t bother to wait for a reply, instead going back to a two-handed grip on Rita’s left wrist. A few hard tugs made the younger brunette far more open to the idea of struggling to her feet but when she tried to squirm loose Cipher reapplied the Hammerlock with enough torque to put Rita up on her toes. “Ask her.” Em told the ref with a smirk. “She clearly wants to quit, she’s just too proud to do it unbiddOOOOOWWWW!”
Carrick raised her right foot and STAMPED on her attacker’s toes. “Just keep running your mouth, punk.” Rita put all her weight on her stampin’ foot to keep West’s boot pinned in place. “Cuz you’re not gonna be able to say anything when you’re sobbing for mercy!” Carrick grrrrrrrrround her heel back n’ forth, then reached back with her right hand and snatched hold of Cipher’s dark locks. “Now let go of my hanDRRRGGGHH!”
Emily halved the Hammerlock but only to curl that hand into a fist, which promptly found its way into the other brunette’s ribs. “Your paw belongs to me now, puppy. You’re not getting it back until I’m done with it.”
Rita grunted some indecipherable response that Emily ignored, she was already focused on the next phase of tonight’s experiment. Knees slightly bent, West slung Carrick’s right arm across her shoulders and hooked her right arm under the Pitbull’s right thigh in a loose cradle. Sensing something unpleasant on the horizon for their heroine, the fans urged Rita to fight free, but Em’s last body shot had immobilized her quite effectively. And so Carrick could only stand there sucking wind until the Amazing Academic muscled her up onto her left shoulder, a perch she occupied until Emily kicked a leg forward and laid out on her back. A Backdrop Suplex was effective enough in its original state, adding a Hammerlock made it that much more devastating, as Rita leaned when she THWHAMMED down on the pinioned limb with all her weight.
HAMMERLOCK BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1phJlgdiw4
“Nnnnnngggggghhh… goddammit!” Rita sat up and would’ve set to work rubbing the kinks from her poor arm if Emily hadn’t grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her down flat. Settling over the younger grappler’s chest in a snug Crossbody, West hooked the far leg tight and nodded along for…
ONE…
TWO…
Rita kicked out simultaneous with ‘TWO!’ a show of muscular defiance that assuaged the fears of her worried fans. Emily was quite pleased by her opponent’s reserves, Cipher on the other hand was patently unimpressed. “I keep hearing a lot of scary barking, but I’ve been strutting around this ring all night with not even a sweat to show for it. Are you really supposed to be the toughest wrestler this forgotten backwater has to offer?”
Rita frowned, her brow furrowing in anger rather than pain. “Careful now, sweetheart. Talk trash about the UP and I’ll OOOOWWWW SHIT! LET GO OF MY ARM!”
No such luck, Emily had the Hammerlock hooked in yet again and it proved a perfect tether for leading the other brunette back to boot leather. Dipping under Carrick’s right arm to get out in front while still maintaining control over her opponent’s arm, the incognito queen threaded her free arm between Rita’s legs and ‘hupped’ her onto her right shoulder. “Her arm belongs to me now!” Cipher bragged to those assembled as she strutted around the ring with Rita draped over her shoulder like a bag of laundry. “Good thing too, I’m always breaking these damned things!” The thinly-disguised threat was drawing fresh boos when Em pushed onto her toes and dropped to one knee, just THWHUNKING Rita’s left shoulder into the posted joint.
SHOULDERBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDL880wjFo
Carrick shouted in pain and rolled onto her right side to prevent a quick cover. It worked in that regard only because West wasn’t concerned with finishing the match in five minutes. Once again filling her hands with the Pitbull’s dark, slightly damp hair, Emily pulled her to a seat and slid in close enough to wrap her legs around Carrick’s waist. “So you want your arm, excuse me, arms, back?” Cipher asked her question even as she trapped Rita’s arms behind her back in a stereo Hammerlock. “You’re more than welcome to them, if you can take them from me. If you can’t…” Emily leaned in so close that Carrick’s arms were pinned between their snug frames. Both arms free, she reached around the brunette’s biceps and locked her hands between opposing breasts. “I’m going to keep playing with them. I’m going to keep playing with YOU, puppy.” Then she squeeeeezed down on the Bear Hug and Bodyscissors, the pair of simple holds forcing a pained gasp from the wriggling Pitbull.
Knowing damned well that she shouldn’t waste so much as a word when she was locked in such a domineering hold, Rita found she couldn’t help herself. “I may have underestimated you a bit honey.” she moaned. “That’s my fault and now I’m paying for it. But you keep poking me and YOU’RE gonna pay for it.”
Emily snorted amusement in her ear. “More barking from an ill-tempered beast. You talk a great game, too bad you haven’t learned to play NNNNGGHHH!”
Rita snapped her head backward, THUNKING the curve of her skull against the bridge of Cipher’s nose in a rude Headbutt. That single shot was enough to free Carrick’s wrists from the Hammerlock, yet none of the regulars begrudged her the second Headbutt in the slightest. (Truth be told a great deal of them encouraged her to land a third or even fourth) But two was enough for the Pitbull and once her hands were free she braced them against the sides of Cipher’s knees and pushed down. This loosened the Scissors instead of breaking them outright and allowed Rita to scramble around in an awkward half circle to face her opposition.
“You got strong legs and you know how to work a Hammerlock better than anyone I’ve ever wrestled.” Carrick admitted to the watery-eyed battler. “But baby, nobody clamps down like the Pitbull!”
Emily would’ve offered up a counterpoint if she’d had the time, but Rita immediately slipped her arms around the other woman’s waist (taking pains to go under her arms, West noted with some approval) and bore down on brawny Bear Hug! The cheer that went up from those assembled seemed to suggest they thought Cipher would surrender at any second. Emily put that foolish notion to rest when she grabbed hold of Carrick’s shoulders and pushed up off her tush to squeeeeeeeeeeze the Bodyscissors all the tighter! “You may have the most dangerous jaws of any animal within a hundred miles,” Cipher noted as she gouged well-manicured talons into Rita’s tensed shoulders, “unfortunately you’re still caught in a Bear Trap. And that trap always wins, little beastGGUUUUHHHHHHHHH!”
Carrick cinched up on her grip, drew Em in chest-to-chest and poured on the pressure. “You’re strong.” Rita’s voice was a whispery shade of its usual self, proof positive that West’s Scissors were eating into her defenses. “You’re just not as strong as meRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!”
Emily hated to take the outer Hug in a contest such as this, so instead of wasting energy working through the younger woman’s coil, she simply cinched her arms around the back of Carrick’s noggin and welcomed her to the cleavage that’d snuffed the best talents FAWN had to offer. She didn’t bother with any lurid scrubbing of slapping, she simply cupped her left elbow with her right hand while her left hand forced Rita’s face into that domineering décolletage. “Strength is nothing but potential energy if you don’t know how you use it, little girl.” Emily rested one cheek against the crown of her foe’s skull so she could better note the groans and wheezes from beneath.
“Perhaps you should surrender before wasting all that potential fighting an inescapable tra-OH WHAT THE HELL?”
No embellishment that, just genuine surprise as Rita Carrick squirmed in place and then clambered to her feet with the visiting star grafted to her chest like a toddler in search of a nap. Give Emily credit, she didn’t change tactics in a panic, in fact she did engage in a little jugg scrubbing and it must’ve done something because Carrick’s knees trembled violently. But the tremors faded away and then it was West’s turn to shiver as the Pitbull pushed up on her toes and went down on one knee to THWHUMP her attacker’s tailbone with an Inverted Atomic Drop.
The jolt through undercarriage finally popped the Scissors, yet the Front Sleeper remained in place and the Amazing Academic doubled down on it once her feet returned to the canvas. “Tap out, Carrick.” she commanded. “Don’t make me jugg you out in front of your entire fanbaAAAAUUUUGGGGHH!”
Rita rose up on tiptoe, took three steps forward and sank into another punishing penance for her opponent’s crotch. The loop around Carrick’s head still didn’t give way entirely, but it loosened enough for the Michigander to twist her head away for some fresh air.
“Luuuuhhhhh…. looks like the Bear Trap fell away.” she said with ragged satisfaction. “But the Pitbull’s still got your weird ass!” Those tenacious jaws sprang open a heartbeat later when the brunette dipped her knees and flung her burden up, over and DOWN onto her back with a very high, very tight, Belly to Belly Suplex. Emily bounced hard and sat up, both to keep her shoulders off the mat and to get a swaddling hand against the small of her sore back.
OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bl0D6xZjQM
She’d barely had time to register the hurt, let alone massage it away, when Carrick grabbed her left wrist in an iron grip and peeled her off the mat. “Seems like you’ve had me tied up or bogged down all night!” Rita stepped away, twisted Cipher’s arm in a wide circle and jerked her into another Bear Hug, albeit one secured around the back of the brunette’s neck and beneath her right arm. Lips close to Cipher’s ear, she added, “But now I’ve got all the room I need to run you to ground.” ‘Ground’ was still coming out of her mouth when Carrick popped her hips and hurled the masked battler onto her back with a ring-shaking Head & Arm Suplex.
HEAD & ARM SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4phjXJExY
West was much slower to sit up this time around, in fact she didn’t so much rise as she did push onto her elbows. No problem for the Pitbull, she was already on her feet and more than happy to fill her hands with the older brunette’s hair. “Up girlie. I said up!”
A brief but vicious bit of tugging earned a yowl from Cipher and a warning from the ref, but it was over before he could even start a count. This was precious little comfort to West, who was desperate to realign her spine after those back to back collisions. Carrick was having none of it though, she pulled the visiting wrestler close and wedged her head under Cipher’s left arm in a voluntary Front Facelock. The Waistlock that followed was anything but voluntary for Emily, not that she was given much time to lament the predicament. Soon as Rita had that S-clamp secured she dropped down low and peeled off a flawless bridge to THWHUMP West onto her back for the third time in less than a minute. Maintaining the bridge after impact, Carrick pushed onto her toes and waited for the…
NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK0M17VnaMg
ONE…
TWO…
Cipher ‘SMACKED!’ her tummy to break the bridge with a whole second to spare. Even with the immediate threat handled, Em decided a bit of recuperation on the outside was necessary so she tucked her arms across her chest and started barrel rolling toward the nearest set of rop--
“NO!” she squealed in rather undignified fashion when Carrick leapt over to interpose herself between the brunette and her exit. “Get out of my way you miserable byNNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Rita hopped up and drove a heel into the pit of her opponent’s stomach, then followed up with three more just to slow Cipher’s roll entirely. “Where do you think you’re going, cutie?” Carrick teased. “You can’t leave until I’m full and frankly, I’m still STARVING!” Too worn from Suplexes and Stomps to offer much in the way of response, West did offer up a protesting moan when the younger woman took possession of wrist and ankle and draaaaaaaagged her right up alongside the ropes. “So close and yet so far!” Rita smirked as she leaned back with her elbows on the top rope. “Although I suppose if you reaaaaaaaaally needed to you could go out to do your business. Can’t have you piddling on the canvas, can we?”
“Suuuhhhh…. savor this moment, pound puppy.” West huffed. “It’ll seem like a distant memory when I’m tying you in OOOOFFFFHHHHH!”
Rita leapt up, leaned backward until her body almost made a ‘T’ with the top rope, then snapped forward and dropped down tummy-first across Em’s midsection with a Splash that THWHAPPED throughout the gymnasium! Hooking the far leg immediately thereafter, Carrick slid her left leg over the brunette’s left gam to make it all the more difficult to escape the…
REBOUND SPLASH:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6RXUrXV1oI
ONE…
TWO…
Cipher reached out and grabbed hold of the bottom rope to stop the count in its tracks. “Amazing,” Emily sounded amused despite the thorough trouncing she’d absorbed in the last couple of minutes. “Not only were you gifted with the tenacity of a pitbull, you’ve got the brains of one as wellOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Rita joined her hands in a single fist, raised it overhead and brought it WHUMPING down into the pit of her opponent’s stomach. “That was a mistake I won’t make twice.” Carrick noted as she cupped the other brunette’s ears in both hands. “Next time I’ll just spike your ass in the center of the ring.”
On her feet by the time that promise left her lips, Rita hauled Cipher up alongside and did indeed march her out to the middle of the squared circle. Still in control of her foe’s head with that mean-spirited but perfectly legal ear grasp, Carrick kept Cipher doubled over, making her a perfect target for the series of Kneelifts unleashed on her tummy and chest. The crowd, who’d been out of their seats ever since the Pitbull regained control of the match, punctuated each body-shivering blow with a loud ‘WOOF!’ that brought a smile to Rita and increased her pace in a single stroke.
Most of the women Carrick hit with these knees were down on all fours after less than five shots, but Cipher was still up and she was well beyond a baker’s dozen. Torn between a desire to smash the masked weirdo to her knees and the need to maintain her energy for the rest of the match, Rita pounded out six more Kneelifts in a chugging left-right-left sequence, then shifted to a Muy Thai clasp across the back of the neck and hopped up to THUNK both knees into Cipher’s forehead!
DOUBLE KNEE STRIKE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWvIMOKlrpo
Emily reared back on her heels, stumbled into the ropes and bounced out, the woozy Brainiac unable to secure an anchor before the rubber-coated traitors bounced her back into the waiting maw of the Pitbull. “NNNNNGGGGGHHHH!” West threw her head back in a wheezing groan as Carrick caught her in a Waistlock and muscled her off the mat as a captive of the strongest Bear Hug she’d felt in quite a while. Mind racing along as it always did in the heat of battle, Em grabbed her attacker’s shoulders for a little leverage and angled her shins against Carrick’s thighs for a little more. That was it for the moment, painful though the hold was, she thought she could hold on long enough to take the younger woman’s meas-- “GUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!”
Rita bounced in place, forcing that much more air from Emily’s lungs. “You’re tougher than the other girls who’ve answered the open challenge.” Carrick murmured as she angled her cheek against Cipher’s chest to prevent a replay of the Front Sleeper. “Hell, most of them would’ve needed the ref to scrape them off the mat after I hit that Splash. Not you though, puzzle-head. You’re built as strong, ok, ALMOST as strong as me and you worked my arm like a sadist. So tell me sweetie, how come I’ve never heard of NNNNGGGHHH!”
The Amazing Academic slipped her legs around Carrick’s thighs and punished the Bear Hug with a heavy Bodyscissors. Rita shook her head, surprised and angry that Cipher was still able to produce such a squeeze when trapped inside her own coil. “We played this game before, Cipher. You lost, remembNGH! NGH! NGH!”
The Scissors had created a little space between the brunettes and Emily used it to her advantage by THWHAPPING a handful of Forearm Smashes across Carrick’s exposed face. “I spotted you a few points, pound puppy.” West grunted after she felt the bands around her hips loosen, “Doesn’t mean you won anyEERRRRGGGGHH!”
Rita pounded a Headbutt between Cipher’s eyes, then followed with another to break the Scissors. Far from a reprieve, West’s situation grew considerably worse when Carrick wedged her right hand between the FAWN star’s thighs and braced her left hand against Em’s chest. West had encountered some powerful Lightweights in her day (Wendy Smith came immediately to mind) but if she’d ever wrestled a woman under a hundred and thirty pounds who could hoist her into a Military Press with no noticeable effort, West couldn’t recall.
Holding the masked battler at full extension, Rita turned in a slow circle so that everyone in the Calumet Gym could get a good look (or picture) then stopped on the rowdiest section and shouted, “SHE STARTED OFF TOUGH, BUT IN THE END SHE’S JUST LIKE ALL THE REST! DOG FOOD!”
On the heels of this she tossed the captive brunette up and took two steps forward, giving Cipher just enough room to plummet to the mat with a cringe-inducing THAWHAM! Bounced onto her back by the force of the landing, the Black Queen sucked in a deep breath that was expelled the instant Carrick flipped up, over and down, a gorgeous Standing Moonsault that crushed even more air from her prey’s lungs. Stretched out snug across her opponent’s heaving chest, Rita hooked the far leg and pushed up onto her toes while the referee counted…
MILITARY PRESS & STANDING MOONSAULT @ 1:42
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMc9fID4ono
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Cipher shot a shoulder up with half a second to spare and Carrick had to stop herself from pounding a frustrated fist against the mat. Instead she showed three fingers to the official, who answered with two. Rita saw he looked as surprised as she felt, which was at least some comfort. She drew more comfort from the double handful of hair she used to jerk Cipher back to wobbly verticality.
“That’s it, weirdo. It’s time you found out how it feels when the Pitbull comes for you full speed ahead.”
Satisfying though the hair-hold was, it wouldn’t do for what came next, so Carrick switched over to a Wristlock and hurled West at a corner so hard she barely managed to turn around before BWUUUNGING spine-first into the top turnbuckle. Throwing an arm over the top rope was out of the question, there was simply too much momentum leftover for Em to do anything other than stagger away from the scene of the crash. Unable to decide if she was impressed or irritated with the older brunette’s resilience, Rita stepped in and hooked her right arm behind Cipher’s left leg. Her left arm went over the masked grappler’s right shoulder. Hooks set, Carrick popped her hips and twisted at the apex not for a Suplex, but an emphatic T-Bone Power Slam that THWHAMMED Emily down flat on her back! Snagging Cipher’s far leg while the ring was still shivering, Rita rolled into a back-press atop her opponent’s chest and nodded her head in time with the…
T-BONE POWER SLAM:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44nxOCSWuU
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Cipher shrugged loose and turned onto her side while the whole of the gymnasium went nuts with a mix of admiration and disbelief. Sitting with her back to the flattened brunette, Carrick smoothed her hair out with both hands and calmed her nerves with a slow inhale / exhale. So Cipher had more in the tank than the other girls in UPPW, that was fine, Rita’d been clamoring for a challenge for months, she wasn’t about to start pouting whining now that she finally had one.
Even so, the astute observer noticed a bit more yank than was absolutely necessary when it came time for the Pitbull to pluck her opponent from the mat. No theatrics this time around, Carrick simply scooped Cipher up, positioned her accordingly and deposited her back on the thinly-sheathed plywood courtesy of the Scoop Slam. Heading for the corner as soon as Cipher was out of her hands, Rita boosted herself into a perch on the second rope and raised her right arm seemingly in anticipation of a Diving Elbow Drop. But something better must’ve crossed her mind at the last second because instead of an Elbow, Carrick hopped up and twisted around to land on the top rope with her back facing the ring. In the next instant she dipped her knees and leapt backward into the void with a gorgeous Moonsault that would’ve made her personal highlight reel if Cipher hadn’t rolled clear!
MOONSAULT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeUpqcHSeng
THAWHAM! Rita hit the vacated canvas full force and bounced up clutching her now roiling midsection. The crowd pleaded for Carrick to rise as quick as she could but it was the mysterious visitor who took the advice to heart. Shoveling her own aches to one side to better take advantage of the miscue, Cipher clambered to her feet and pounded one, two, three, Elbow Smashes into the crown of her penitent opponent’s forehead. Rita moaned, shoved away Em’s hands as best she could, then grabbed her by the hips and started to rise.
West didn’t resist the efforts, in fact she cupped the younger woman’s ears and tugged up to speed the process along. Unfortunately for Rita she didn’t get to savor her newfound verticality for more than a heartbeat or two before Cipher crouched and hooked an arm between her thighs. The Fireman’s Carry that followed earned a round of boos from the locals, but like their heroine they weren’t given much time to come to terms with this new arrangement. Because as soon as Carrick was up Emily tossed her off, the camouflaged Queen dropping straight onto her back and drawing both knees across her chest to provide the Pitnull with the most unpleasant of landings. THWHUMP!
DOUBLE KNEE GUTBUSTER @ 00:27
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PmoPnOmBKo
“Unnnnngghhhh faaaaahhhk!” Rita’s formerly confident tone was nothing but an echo of earlier strength, and yet she was far from powerless, as evidenced by the way she stood up and staggered away before West could corral her for a cover. Muttering something unkind under her breath, the Insidious Intellectual regained her feet and glanced around the squared circle in an attempt to ascertain the best angle of-- Emily found what she wanted and smiled, the expression a gleaming crescent made all the brighter by her dark mask.
Starting after her winded opposition, West made a sharp turn and ran the ropes directly left of Carrick’s position. Give it up to the loyal fans of UPPW, they stood tall and roared for Rita to get dive clear of whatever nastiness the enigmatic newcomer had in mind. Alas, the sudden explosion of sound drew Rita’s attention in the direction of the approaching danger, leaving those assembled to groan in sympathetic hurt when Emily THWHAPPED the younger brunette across the chest with a huge Lariat. Nearly turned inside out by the force of the blow, Carrick landed hard on her head and right shoulder.
LARIAT:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ITkzC4v_k
She might’ve stayed there for a good long while if Cipher hadn’t snagged her at shoulder and hip and muscled her onto her back for a snug Crossbody. Careful to hook the far leg even though she thought the ingénue was out cold, Em put her free hand against Carrick’s cheek, all the better to force her head to one side while the ref counted…
ONE…
TWO…
THRENOOOOOOOO!
Sighs of relief followed by raucous cheers from the faithful as the red-clad battler escaped defeat by the slimmest of margins. West has long ago trained herself not to question the referee’s count even the wake of the most wrongheaded calls you could imagine and she didn’t question this one either but it took an almost preternatural effort of will. “I’ve encountered more than a dozen women who’ve used the ‘pitbull’ moniker during the course of my career, Rita Carrick.” Emily noted after she’d picked herself off the canvas. “And none of them embodied that single-minded tenacity half as well as you.”
Rita grimaced, rolled onto her belly and pushed to all fours without giving any sign that she’d heard the older woman’s comment. “That’s why I’m going to put you down so hard. Anything less would be a disservice to your efforts tonight.”
Only vaguely aware of the crowd over the painful ringing in her ears, Carrick was completely oblivious to West, which explained the look of abject surprise on her pretty face when Em stepped in behind and snaked her right arm around opposing throat. Cupping her left bicep even as she drew the Pitbull close, Emily braced her left palm against the curve of Rita’s skull and cinched in the Sleeper with all her might. Securing the Sleeper was like touching a live wire to Carrick’s back, she jolted forward and immediately started stamping toward the ropes. Nonplussed by the sudden jolt of adrenaline, (she’d seen and subdued similar reactions in Shea London on more than one occasion) West kept on her prey, then twisted her hips and angled Carrick back toward center when she drew a little too close to release.
As of yet unaware that she was being tightly controlled, the sturdy little powerhouse tried for the strands three more times before she realized the predicament. Slowing her march to the merest trickle, Rita reached for the ropes with one hand, but lowered it the moment her arm started growing heavy. Oh so careful to keep her chin clear of the struggling woman’s skull, the Amazing Academic cooed, “A noble effort, puppy, but this is one mystery doomed to elude you. Now take heed of my kindness and tap out so you can leave the ring under your own powNNNNGGGHHH!”
Rita crooked her right arm into a ‘V’ and pounded her elbow into Cipher’s ribs like she was shanking the snitch in the final act of a prison movie. Emily bared her teeth, put that much more torque on the Sleeper and did her own pitbull impression by shaking her prey back n’ forth for a good five seconds. That brief bit of ragdolling reduced Carrick’s elbow assault to a firm grip on the older brunette’s encroaching bicep, yet there was still a bit too much squeeze in that resistance for Emily’s liking.
“You’re trapped, Carrick!” Don’t make me put you out in front of the entire towOOOWWWW BYTCH!”
Rita raised her left foot and STAMPED down on Emily’s toes, taking great pains to grind her heel on opposing boot. As if that wasn’t enough, she reached back with both hands and filled ‘em with Cipher’s dark locks. “Lrrrrrrhhh…. let me GO!” Carrick gurgled, her efforts to free herself not at all stymied by the official’s count. “Drrrrhhhhh… leggo before I NNNNNGGGGGGGGHHH!”
Emily did as bade while Rita’s claws were still tangled in her hair. That meant the Pit-Bull was essentially defenseless when the Black Queen curled her right hand into a fist and PWAAAKED it against her liver. Rita’s knees went sludgy but Emily spun her in a half circle before she could crumple to the canvas. The slumping ingénue went nose deep in her cleavage and then Em coiled her arms around the back of Carrick’s head and pulled her in the rest of the way. Now, the Front Sleeper was common enough in FAWN, but it was still rarity enough in other environs to draw gasps of shock when Cipher sank it in.
Chief among the surprised was Rita herself, who wasted valuable oxygen in a shriek that did nothing but reverberate off Em’s vaunted rack. Even blinded and smothered Carrick didn’t give up, the insanely tenacious brunette pounding punch after punch after punch into her tormentor’s ribs. Five minutes ago, perhaps even two, they might’ve been enough to free her from Cipher’s trap, but the first stint in the Sleeper had taken the snap off her punches and they were getting softer with each passing second. After fifteen seconds the punches turned to slaps. By twenty-three, the slaps were nothing more than gentle shoves and at the thirty second mark Rita’s hands were twitching fitfully at her sides.
Emily felt Carrick’s knees go and was tempted to follow her to the canvas but ultimately decided on a more direct course. Breaking the Sleeper with no fanfare, West collected her foe’s head in a Front Facelock and quickly slung the near arm over her shoulders. A handful of red togs provided all the leverage needed to muscle Carrick all the way to high noon and then she was on her way straight down, West forgoing her usual stall to just THWHUNK Rita’s skull into the canvas with a sickening Snap Brainbuster. The Pitbull popped open in a boneless sprawl that offered not a single jot of resistance when Cipher floated over into a cover and cradled the far leg. The reaction in the Calumet gym was decidedly mixed, a good portion of those assembled bellowed for Rita to kick out while the others joined the ref in counting off…
SNAP BRAINBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=snkQqMhlx90
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Emily dropped Carrick’s gam, slowly got to her feet and tapped her wrist to make sure the ref hoisted it high before the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall after sixteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds of grueling action… CIPHER!”
The jeers were almost universal, but West noted a subtle undercurrent of approval beneath the disdain and thusly knew she’d made an impression. Of course that was just the audience, the real focus of this experiment was sprawled behind her and the Insidious Intellectual was far more interested in making sure she had the Pitbull’s undivided attention. To that end she twisted around, stepped over the other brunette’s hips and sank to a deep crouch all in one motion. “You are an exceptional creature, Rita Carrick.” Cipher murmured as she worked two fingers into her boot and pulled out a tube of black lipstick. “I’ve genuinely enjoyed our skirmishes tonight, both mental and physical. Now that our battle is concluded, I leave you with one final question…” Removing the cap from the lipstick, Em made a slight adjustment, then turned it over and drew a large question mark that started in the center of her opponent’s forehead and ran all the way down the bridge of her nose.
She dotted her unique ‘signature’ on the tip of Carrick’s nose, then asked, “Will you allow this question to vex you forever, or do you have the nerve to try and solve it?” No answer from Rita, which was fine. Em knew the referee would repeat every word to the younger woman once she came around and if for whatever reason he didn’t, there was still the letter she’d left in Dereleth’s office. On her feet once the message was delivered, Emily tucked the lipstick away and placed a boot atop her opponent’s chest, to make sure everyone knew who’d tamed the Pitbull.
The boos kicked up again and Emily smirked, thoroughly enjoying her control of their emotions. She might’ve stayed quite a bit longer if a sudden soft groan from Rita reminded her she wanted / needed to be gone well before the younger woman collected her bearings. “Until we meet again, puppy.” West ground the toe of her boot into Carrick’s cleavage. “I do hope you’re as good at tracking as you are at barking.”
With that she slipped out of the ring and quickly made her way from the gymnasium to the locker room, where she stayed just long enough to throw a sweatshirt and yoga pants over her ring attire. Still masked, Cipher grabbed her bag and practically ran to the old man’s Buick provided by the rental company.
A sudden clamor from the direction of the double doors told her the show was officially over (‘of course it was, no way they’d ever top that‘) so West threw her bag in the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. Smiling as she caught sight of the Cipher mask staring back at her from the rearview, Emily turned the ignition and glided out of the Calumet High School parking lot. A little ways down the road she turned on the radio and got an oldies station out of Marquette playing CCR. Absurdly pleased with the appropriately heelish selection, Emily turned the speakers up and rolled the windows down to properly sing along.
"I hear hurricanes a blowing.
I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin."
She didn’t take off the Cipher mask until she crossed into Wisconsin.
********
Back at Calumet High…
“What do you mean she’s gone?” an incredulous Rita Carrick asked an equally surprised Jack Dereleth. “You mean she didn’t even stick around long enough to collect her paycheck?”
The promoter nodded and shrugged his shoulders simultaneously, an innately goofy expression that did nothing to ease the young woman’s bewilderment. “C’mon Jack, you can’t NOT know who she is! I might’ve bought it if she was some chump that I put down in five minutes, but I’ve wrestled every great talent in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin during the last couple of years and she’s better than all of them! Whoever she is, she’s not local. Now I don’t mind losing, but I DO mind some stranger strutting into my backyard, spiking me on my head and then disappearing before I can ask for a rematch. Level with me, who is she and where is she headed?”
Jack shrugged again but at least this time he refrained from shaking his head. “Seriously Rita, I don’t know. You know Carrie had to drop out with less than a day’s notice, when Cipher showed up at my office with a solid sizzle reel and a reference from Kent Allard, I--”
Carrick’s eyes narrowed and she held up a hand. “Wait, Kent Allard? The archivist from FAWN?”
Dereleth nodded, happy to provide some answer a little more useful than ‘I don’t know’. “Yeah, that’s him. He had nothing but good things to say about her and since you and she had similar builds there was no way I could turn it down, right? Look, I’m sorry she beat you and I’m REALLY sorry if you think I brought in some ringer to drum up some interest, but if she was anyone I knew don’t you think I would’ve promoted the hell out of it?”
Carrick sighed, ran a hand through her hair and nodded. Dereleth had her there. He was a goof, but the man never missed an opportunity to promote the greatness of UPPW.
Genuinely distressed over his star talent’s frustration, Jack added, “Look, I’ll see if I can’t get in touch with Allard, if anyone knows who’s under that mask, it’d be him. And if he doesn’t, maybe she left a clue in the letter.”
Rita’s mind had drifted away from the conversation but it snapped back at mention of a letter. “There’s a letter?”
“Yeah.” He fished it out of his back pocket and offered it to the Pitbull. “Cipher left it in my office with instructions to hand it over once she’d won the match.”
Carrick damned near snatched it out of his hands. “That weird skank just presumed she was gonna win from the very beginning?” Rita tore the envelope open and quickly removed a single sheet of paper. Holding it at eye level, she murmured, “Just who the hell does she think she…..”
Jack waited for the end of that sentence for more than fifteen seconds. “Ummmh, Rita? Everything ok? What is it? Do you know who she is?”
Carrick reread the note one more time, taking special care to memorize the number written at the bottom. Not quite able to believe the contents, she folded it back up and stuffed it in her hip pocket. Practically dying of curiosity, Dereleth repeated his earlier question. “Well, what is it?”
“It could be one mean-ass joke.” she said thoughtfully. “Or it could be a chance to expand my junkyard well beyond the UP.”
“Just how far are we talking here?”
“Nationwide, Jack. Maybe worldwide. Don’t know yet. Guess I’ll find out in the morning.” Rita started to leave, then stopped and swatted the promoter on the arm. “Sorry I yelled at you. Don’t worry about Cipher, I’m gonna solve this one on my own.”
Jack watched her go and suddenly he was sure the girl he’d dubbed the Pit-Bull wasn’t very long for UPPW. “Hey Rita?”
She stopped and looked over one shoulder. “Yeah Jack?” “There’s gonna be a whole lot more people watching the next time you two wrestle, aren’t there?”
Carrick wanted to grin from ear to ear, but she thought such a show might hurt his feelings and she didn’t want that at all. Instead she settled for a nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
