“Did she just call me out?” Brent asked blinking rapidly as he stared ahead at the ring.

“I believe so, Brent!” Dan Rich chuckled, “She gave you a little wink too!”

“Whatever. I still say her win last weekend was partly due to luck and poor effort on the side of Ada.”

“Don’t be so sore, Brent.” Rhonda grinned over at him.

“I’m not sore,” Brent retorted, “I am just saying-…”

“Well,” Dan interrupted, “Fiona had made it clear that she plans on being champion! And frankly I think it is not unrealistic to say that she could be.”

“Yeah, and I can think of a lengthy list of women she is going to need to get by to attain the NMW women’s championship.” Brent said immediately and rather sourly. “I applaud Fiona for her drive and work ethic. But she needs to make sure she is not talking beyond her abilities.”

“I mean I see no reason that Fiona can’t be a solid competitor for the women’s title.” Rhonda shrugged.

“Let’s see what else she has to say.” Dan raised his hand to firmly silence his co-commentators.

"But keep doubting," Fiona continued, "keep giving me fuel. The fans that have followed me from the beginning know that I come back stronger after every match, win or lose. They know I'll never give up until I've got those titles."

It was a strong statement to make, ambitious and maybe a little optimistic, the fan reaction seeming to reflect that with a mix of support and skepticism. The script was the script, and Fiona hadn't wandered too far from it, and while she didn't really think she had a great shot at being the first ever NMW Women's Champion, she agreed with the sentiment that every match was going to help her learn and improve, and that someday soon she'd be capable of challenging anyone.

"I say 'titles' because it's not just the one belt, is it? We need to determine the NMW Women's Tag Team Champions as well, don't we? And that's the other reason I'm here tonight, to let you all know that the Defiant Dream is alive and well, and ready to take on any team that stands in our way. The past is the past. We're dreaming of the future, where anything is possible."

She turned towards the ramp. "Tonight I've got the honor of introducing to you, for her debut match in NMW, my best friend, the fiery half of the Defiant Dream. She's back and better than ever, ready to take some names in No Mercy Wrestling. Get ready to see some action from... Kendra Snipes!"

The arena lights immediately all turned baby blue and white as Kendra Snipes’ theme began to play, cheers rose up across the arena at the appearance of Fiona’s tag team partner, Kendra Snipes. Kendra emerged slowly from the entryway beneath the titantron, clad in a baby blue sleeveless top and matching tights, her look completed by gleaming white knee-high boots and white fingerless gloves and matching elbow pads giving her a striking ensemble. Kendra’s fiery red hair flowed freely over her shoulders and down her back. A confident smile lit up her face as she raised both arms high pulling in more approval from the nearly nineteen thousand people.

“It’s Kendra Snipes!” Dan Rich shouted. “The Defiant Dream stands united!”

Kendra, still smiling, spread her long arms at her sides for high fives as she began her descent down the reflective black ramp.

“The last we saw of Kendra was that disastrous final NMWW match back last winter.” Rhonda pointed out.

“Yeah,” Brent quickly chimed in, “a tag team match against the Beatifics during which Fiona accidentally drove her own partner into the railing and shelved her with a back injury for weeks. That effectively ended the NMWW run for Fiona and Kendra.”

“Well, they definitely are looking to turn over a new leaf now and it seems that regardless of what happened last year these two are still tight.” Rhonda said.

“The Defiant Dream, as Fiona said it, is alive and well!” Dan Rich proclaimed as Kendra reached the edge of the apron. Kendra turned in place, throwing both arms up in the air for the crowd again and then rolled under the bottom rope and came to a brisk stand next to her partner Fiona. Kendra reached down and grabbed Fiona’s right wrist raising it high as the crowd poured on the adulations even thicker now.

“These two definitely are stirring the masses tonight!” Dan Rich yelled, pulling his microphone in close to his mouth.

“So are we gonna’ have a match or is this just a promo?” Brent asked.

It was a pretty big relief for Fiona now that her part in all of this was done. The cameras and the spotlights were on Kendra as she made her way to the ring, allowing Fiona to lower the microphone and relax again. The crowd's reception was great, better than she'd hoped for, evidence that she really was resonating with them these first two weeks of NMW. Now all that was needed was a good showing from Kendra tonight, and they'd both be in business moving forward.

She smiled as Kendra lifted her arm by the wrist and raised it high, the duo standing side by side in the ring for the first time in the better part of a year. She hugged her afterwards, keeping the mic down as she spoke into her ear.

"Your time to shine now. Show them all what you've got."

Breaking the hug, she stayed at Kendra's side as her partner's music faded out. Now it was time for Kendra's opponent to show up, and try to ruin the moment. Fiona had no plans to interfere in the match any more than simply offering verbal support, as she was confident Kendra could handle it and would want to win her debut match on her own. Never been forced to watch a match from ringside without being able to tag in. This'll be a new experience.

Kendra’s music went silent, the overhead fixtures and banner lighting returning to the standard red and white associated with the brand. The company logo, a glaring white skull, appeared on the titantron. The crowd was settling in though there were restless murmurs all around. It was obvious that Fiona and Kendra were waiting for something but what? The seconds ticked by with nothing, just Defiant Dream standing awkwardly in the center of the arena.

“Stage fright?” Brent blurted out at the commentary table.

“No, I don’t-…” Rhonda started to speak only to be cut off by Dan Rich suddenly shouting, “Look out!”

The apron cover on the east side of the ring just in front of the commentary table was suddenly tossed up by a single figure that burst out from under the ring, a long staff clasped in their hands. It was a woman of short stature wearing a full cheetah print bodysuit paired with black ankle height boots, a single long ebony braid draped down her back. The “staff” in her possession was a kendo stick. Without delay the woman rolled under the bottom rope, the crowd immediately riled by what was very clearly an ambush attempt - high pitched screams and roars of approval tore through the air.

“Kendra and Fiona are about to get nailed from behind!” Dan Rich along with Brent and Rhonda leapt up from their chairs.

“Who is that?” Rhonda yelled as the kendo stick was pulled back for a swing.

“Fiona down!” Kendra shouted, the first of the two to realize what was happening. Kendra shouldered Fiona off to the side and ducked low, barely avoiding the swing - the kendo stick slicing through the air with a whiff. Kendra stood back upright, the assailing woman swinging the stick around a second time, Kendra dodging backwards. The bell dinged ringside as an official who had been waiting in the box rushed forward and slid in under the ropes. Kendra backed toward the nearest corner slowly as her “opponent” hesitated, still brandishing the kendo stick.

“W-Well I… I guess we are having a match!” Dan announced.

“What a way to start, Kendra and Fiona almost took a kendo stick to the back!”

“And that hurts like hell, Brent!” Rhonda added.

“And the official now demanding that Kendra’s opponent relinquish the kendo stick.”

The official looked between Kendra and the shorter woman in the cheetah-print and then reached both hands out, waggling his fingers and calling for the latter to “hand over” her weapon.

Kendra's reactions saved Fiona a lot of pain; she hadn't seen the attack coming in time, not expecting to be involved in a fight before a bell had even been rung tonight. She fell to the mat and rolled back to her feet, shutting off the microphone and tossing it away to free up both her hands in case she needed to use them.

What the hell? Did Gordon know that was going to happen? Were we set up? She wasn't sure she'd believe it if he said he didn't know, but that was a problem for later. With the element of surprise lost, there weren't many options available to this mystery woman, as Fiona saw it. At least, not many good ones.

"Give it up," Fiona shouted the warning at her over the riled up crowd, not about to leave the ring until she knew Kendra was going to get a fair fight. "Or don't and get DQ'd. All bets are off then, and I don't think a kendo stick is going to save you in a two-on-one."

“And Fiona doing some ‘backseat refereeing’.” Dan Rich chuckled. “Her and the official both demanding that this other woman part with that kendo stick!”

Kendra saw an opening and suddenly rushed out from the corner. The ambusher flailed the kendo stick wildly but Kendra was ready, ducking under a second swing now and coming around behind her opponent. The cheetah print woman was notably short, shorter than Fiona even, with a slender build. Kendra had quickly gauged her own size and strength advantage and now that she was acutely aware of it wrapped her arms around the smaller woman’s midsection with the intent of a punishing slam. Kendra fell backward hauling her opponent with her, up and over Kendra’s collapsing form, and executing a flawless German suplex. Kendra’s opponent crashed down onto her head and shoulders, the kendo stick slipping from her grasp and skittering across the mat.

“A German suplex by Kendra after ducking under an illegal strike attempt with that kendo stick!”

“If I was Kendra I would have just taken that hit for the DQ win.” Rhonda laughed.

“Come on, Rhonda, where’s the pride in that?” Brent asked.

Kendra kipped up but instead of pressing the advantage turned her back towards the center of the ring, letting the opposition rise up to her feet. The referee quickly grabbed the loose kendo stick, tossing it out of the ring and then motioning for Fiona to clear the ring herself.

Well, that was one way to solve this. Kendra was never shy about seizing opportunities when they were presented, this time firmly taking the advantage out of the chaotic start to the match. Fiona lifted her hands as the referee motioned for her to leave. She was quick to back up to the ropes and roll under them outside the ring, letting Kendra and her smaller opponent properly get underway for their match.

The kendo stick was still around though... The referee had tossed it out, but Fiona was able to easily walk over and pick it up off the ground. Better to have it in my hands than leave it out in the open. Whoever this is, if she wants to fight dirty, she can reap what she sowed.

She rested the wooden weapon on her shoulder casually, settling in to watch her friend get to work on her first match. Glancing over to the nearby commentary table, she held up a hand innocently. "I'm just hanging on to it, for safekeeping!"

“For ‘safekeeping’, she said.” Dan Rich chuckled, eyes lingering on Fiona. “Fiona has that kendo stick in her possession now.”

Kendra’s opponent stood upright and then immediately rushed Kendra. Kendra went for a right arm clothesline but her shorter opposition easily ducked under it, then coming around behind Kendra. The woman went for a neckbreaker looking to floor her taller foe. Kendra however sensed the move coming and as her opponent went aerial and reached for Kendra’s neck she was met with only air and crumpled awkwardly down onto her knees.

“A dodged clothesline and a neckbreaker attempt by Kendra’s opponent but to no avail!”

Kendra grabbed the other woman from behind by her right arm and effortlessly flung her across the ring towards the east side ropes in an Irish whip. The cheetah print woman rebounded off the ropes and came back toward Kendra who tried a second clothesline, another dodge - followed by a second rebound off the west side ropes. This time however as Kendra’s opponent came back towards her the redhead dropped low and quickly grabbed her in her arms. Kendra lifted her opposition off the mat and spun halfway around slamming her down flat of her back.

“A belly to belly slam, and looks like a quick cover!”

Kendra lifted her opponents’ right leg, the official dropping for the count.
“One!…” The other woman quickly kicked out and got her shoulder off the mat but was obviously shaken as she slowly sat up.

“And a kick-out at one.”

Kendra was back wrestling like she'd never taken any time off. No rust, no hesitation, and an immediate control of the match. A little over a year ago Kendra was on the receiving end of these kinds of matches more often than not, but she was steadily turning into a really solid wrestler, probably closer to Fiona's level than a lot of people gave her credit for.

Of course, the match potentially still had a long way to go. Fiona paced around outside the ring, watching her friend control the fight. She kept the kendo stick in hand, resting it across her shoulders casually. "Great start, Kendra!" she encouraged her after the kickout, enjoying the show as much as any fan so far. Really, she had the best seat in the house.

Kendra stood up, dragging her opponent with her by the left wrist. The other woman suddenly swung her right hand in a knife hand motion down across Kendra’s wrist with a smack causing Kendra to lose her grip.

“A reversal and…”

The shorter woman ducked low and leapt straight into Kendra’s exposed right shin, Kendra crumpling down onto her left knee.

“And a shot to the right leg by Kendra’s challenger!” Dan Rich finished.

The shorter woman turned and made a beeline for the north side ropes, coming off them fast and straight for the still kneeling Kendra. At the last second however, just as her opponent went up off the mat, Kendra spun around and caught her in the air. The crowd went wild for Kendra as her opponent flailed helplessly, eyes wide.

“Kendra now with a midair catch off the Irish whip by her opponent!” Dan Rich exclaimed. With a loud grunt Kendra heaved upward and then slammed her opponent down hard on her back. “Bang!” Dan slapped the announcement table. “And a spinebuster!

“Kendra’s not done!” Rhonda nodded as Kendra sprinted across the ring to the east side, springing off the ropes and charging toward her downed opponent. Kendra leapt high, spreading herself out in the air, and crashed down across her smaller competition sending a jolt through her prone form. Kendra lay flat, unmoving in a simple pin position - the referee dropping for the count again.

“One!… Two!…”

The count was broken again by shoulders coming up off the mat and a short “aw” from across the front row.

“A kick free at two!”

Fiona echoed the "aw" from the audience, thinking right alongside them that Kendra might've been about to wrap up a very short and dominant match. She was firing on all cylinders right now, countering the counters, nailing every meaningful move she threw at this woman, whoever she was.

"Keep the pressure on!" Fiona encouraged from the sidelines. "She's got no answer!" All the body language in the ring was indicating this was a stomp in the making. From the moment her ambush had been botched, Kendra's opponent had lacked confidence, lacked speed, and lacked strength. Even when she did get some counters in, Kendra wasn't getting flustered, and reacted beautifully. The crowd was enjoying it, and so was Fiona. If Kendra kept this up, it'd be the perfect way for Defiant Dream to mark their arrival to NMW.

Kendra reached down and grabbed her opponent by both wrists this time and pulled her up roughly. Kendra crouched low and slid the other woman’s dangling form over her head and onto her shoulders in a fireman’s carry, standing upright slowly.

“And Kendra now setting up with a fireman’s carry but wait…”

The woman on Kendra’s shoulders suddenly became animated, kicking her legs and writhing her upper body to try and slip free of the carry. She swung her right arm around and her elbow connected with the side of Kendra’s head. Kendra grunted and winced in pain, her brow wrinkled up furiously. Seeing her way free the woman in the cheetah print delivered three more sharp elbow strikes to Kendra’s skull forcing Kendra to let go. Kendra grabbed the side of her head as her opponent slid down her back only to jump back up and grab Kendra’s neck with both hands from behind.

“A neckbreaker after getting free from the fireman’s carry!” Dan Rich yelled as Kendra was dragged down hard onto the mat and bounced violently onto her side.

“Cover!” Brent Christi raised both hands high as Kendra’s opponent rolled Kendra onto her back and then lay her forearm across Kendra’s face. Just as the official dropped for the count the woman popped both her legs up and back and hooked her boots across the middle rope.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Dan Rich pointed his right index finger at the ring. “An illegal pin!”

“The ref doesn’t see!” Rhonda shouted.

“One!… Two!… T-…”

Kendra barely kicked free in time after a short struggle, rolling onto her side as the referee raised two fingers - unaware of what had been done. Kendra’s opponent, smirking at nearly swiping the match, had already removed herself from the ropes and came up onto her knees as she considered her next move. There was a mixture of cheers and boos from the stands at the cheap tactic.

“And Kendra kicking out at two, barely saving the match from a dirty pin!”

Fiona was suddenly livid, desperately trying to point out to the ref that Kendra's opponent was attempting to cheat with her pin technique, but in the noise of the arena and the chaos of the moment, the referee saw and heard nothing, laser focused on Kendra's shoulders being down and going for the count. It was lucky Kendra was able to kick out in time; forcing her way out of a pin like that would've been nearly impossible if she'd taken even a few more hits in the match.

"Her feet were on the ropes!" she shouted at the referee, furious, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Two weeks, two dirty tactics missed by the referees in Fiona's and Kendra's matches. This was becoming a problem.

Fiona still had the kendo stick in her hands, but she wasn't about to try to make a difference with it mid-match. Somehow she was sure if she tried anything, she'd get caught and end up losing the match for Kendra. She had to trust her to turn it back around herself.

Kendra was pulled up by two handfuls of her red locks, the referee calling for her opponent to let go of her hair. Kendra, feeling reinvigorated, slapped away both of her opponents’ hands with the same vitriol she received earlier. Kendra then landed a hard kick to the gut that buckled over the other woman.

“Kendra, now upright, giving a hard kick to the belly, and it looks like she is setting up for something…”

Kendra slipped her opponents’ left arm over her head and behind her neck while grabbing her around the waist and then, with a forward swing of her right leg, performed a snap suplex that sent the woman in the cheetah print up, over, and down hard onto her back with a thud that vibrated the canvas.

“A snap suplex, nice!” Rhonda nodded.

“Now what’s she doing?” Dan Rich raised up to get a better look.

Kendra had circled around her downed foe and was now climbing up onto the southwest corner turnbuckle.

“Oh, what is this? What is she doing?” Brent repeated warily, standing up next to Dan.

Kendra, now perched atop the post, slowly turned so that she was facing the ring and rose up to a full stand. A steady surge of cheers poured in from all around as the fans were eager to see what Kendra had in store. Kendra brushed several loose strands of hair out of her face and then shouted down at her opponent. “Get up!”
The woman in the cheetah print staggered to a stand, wobbling about on her feet. As she raised her gaze to Kendra, who now towered over her like a mountain, Kendra leapt - raising her right leg up high and aiming it straight at the other woman’s exposed head. Kendra’s boot pounded straight into her opponents’ face and Kendra - all her momentum behind her - drove the other woman’s head straight down onto the mat with a thunderous boom.

“Oh, my God!” Dan Rich’s hat fell from his head as he jumped up.

“Like a sledgehammer to a spike, I’ll admit it that was impressive!” Brent shouted. “A big boot right off the top of the post to put away this match!”

“That’s it, lights out!” Rhonda called. “She is done!”

Kendra dropped down across her opponent who was as limp as a rag doll for a lazy cover, the referee kneeling for the count - the crowd joining in.

”One!… Two!… Three!…”

The crowd went berserk as the referee rose up and held three fingers high for the bell to be rang. Kendra slowly stood up next to him, her hair a mess and a beleaguered smile on her face as she looked down at her defeated foe and then all around at the crowd and finally at Fiona. The referee walked Kendra to the center of the ring, raising her right arm as the announcer called the match in her favor.

“Here is your winner by pinfall… Kendra… Snipes…!”

---

After enthusiastic celebrations in the ring, Fiona and Kendra found themselves headed backstage, greeted with congratulations from some of the staff and talent. It was a relief to be on the other side of all that; the promo was delivered, the introduction made, the ambush avoided, and the match won, everything turning out well, if not exactly going according to plan. Though Fiona was almost certain she and Kendra hadn't been let in on the real plan by Gordon.

Fiona hadn't recognized the woman in the cheetah print outfit at all, but Kendra knew who she was. She was one of the women she'd defeated in a triple threat dark match the previous week, before Fiona's debut. Now it was starting to make sense. Clearly that woman had wanted another crack at Kendra, and Fiona by association, and someone had arranged for her to be underneath the ring with a kendo stick, which Fiona had since handed off to NMW staff. All in all, Fiona felt like they'd escaped the whole thing pretty well. Thanks to Kendra's quick reactions, neither of them were nursing any nasty welts on their backs.

"Mr. McKinney!" she shouted, catching sight of him patrolling backstage just as he was before they'd gone out. It hadn't gotten any cooler yet as the night went on, but that didn't stop him from scurrying around and dealing with every wrestler he came across. "Hope you got what you wanted out of all that. The crowd seemed to enjoy it at least."

Her tone wasn't too negative, but she stood with her arms crossed, clearly not happy about being set up, even if it ultimately benefited her and Kendra.

“Fiona, Kendra,” Gordon smiled through the thick sheen of perspiration on his face, a very slight waver in his speech, “a nice job tonight, both of you! Though… next time, Fiona, maybe try massaging just yourself and not the whole women’s division.” Gordon ended with a chuckle, though the look on his round face showed that he knew Fiona and Kendra wanted to talk to him about the ambush in the arena.

“Mister McKinney,” Kendra kept her pitch respectful, “what… what was that? I feel so… ‘set up’ right now. She was waiting under the ring. How long was she even under there?”

“Kendra, listen,” Gordon said softly as he reached out and took Kendra by her shoulders, “I know that was a real curveball that you - and Fiona - got thrown tonight. But did you hear that crowd? You got the win despite being at an initial disadvantage and you finished off your opponent with a force you have not shown before! And the crowd loved it!”

Kendra cast her eyes down in thought as Gordon stepped back now baring a confident smile. Truthfully he was right. The crowd had enjoyed the performance, especially for a matchup between a lower ranked talent and a jobber. But Kendra still felt that she had been crossed and looked up at Gordon with a stern expression.

“Mister McKinney I just feel I should have…” Kendra faltered.

“What?” Gordon immediately asked, clasping his hands together against his stomach, “Been warned about it? That would have just watered things down. The point was to set up a scene where you were ambushed by someone with a petty score to settle and you came out on top. You took an unfair situation and turned it into an opportunity!”

“But…”

“I had no doubt that you could handle it, Kendra.” Gordon held out both hands in a gesture of sincerity causing Kendra to hesitate again. She looked sideways at Fiona and then back at Gordon, Kendra clearly being assailed by several different emotions at once.

Fiona rubbed at the back of her neck a little awkwardly. "He's, uh... he's not wrong," she admitted, though it pained her. "As a team, we're in a great spot right now. We're both off to a hot start, we got to show everyone who we are and what we're fighting against, and the fans are gonna want to see more." Fiona was relieved it had turned out the way it did, as she could easily see how that plan could've gone wrong. If they'd gotten hit by the ambush, if that jobber had cheated her way to a win, it would've been one hell of an embarrassing way to debut Defiant Dream in NMW. They would've been wrecked without ever getting off the launchpad. But Gordon's gamble had paid off, for both of them.

"It's just... we'd like to be able to trust you, Mr. McKinney, that's all. And it's going to be tough now. But I'm guessing you knew this would be our reaction when you set this up." Her performances in the ring weren't just an act, after all. Fiona cared about things like honesty and integrity, and this whole set-up made her feel more than a little uncomfortable, even if she benefited from it. Maybe because she benefited from it.

"I hope our next matches, whether they're singles or as a tag team, will be fair. We're both ready to show the world what we can do... especially now that I've talked us up a bunch."

“You can trust me.” Gordon said firmly with a nod, “I know tonight was, as I said, a curve ball. But instead of turning yourselves inside out over a little surprise enjoy the outcome!”

Kendra started to say something else but Gordon snapped both hands up to silence her. An anxious look instantly welled up on Kendra’s face, she was starting to feel self-conscious about this whole exchange now. After all, Gordon was her boss. Gordon lowered his hands again and gently said, “Look, I have no intention of ‘sabotaging’ either of you. And I give you my word that if I can help it what happened tonight will not be a regular concern. Now, you both should head back to the hotel and unwind. I’ll text you soon.”

If I can help it, these words echoed in Kendra’s mind. Despite this she forced a wide smile and nodded. Satisfied, Gordon gave Kendra a pat on her left arm and Fiona an affirming nod as he walked away.

Fiona watched Gordon walk away until she was sure he was out of earshot, and not planning to turn around and continue the conversation. "Well," she said with a light sigh, "that was the shakiest reassurance I've ever heard. 'Not a regular concern,' he says. So just an occasional one, then. Got it." Fiona figured Mr. McKinney wouldn't want to upset the talent he was managing, but he had a whole roster to concern himself with, not just the two of them. And there were probably women on that roster that would get upset if they didn't ever get a chance to ambush Fiona and Kendra.

There isn't all that much in this business we can control, she thought. Not yet anyway. If we keep finding success in the ring, maybe some influence will come along with it. Just gotta keep taking down the challenges as they come. And watch our backs...

"Come on, let's get out of here," she suggested, trying to get this whole conversation behind them. "We're both one-and-oh in NMW, and I think that's cause for a little celebration."

Just a little one, though. Tomorrow it was back to work, preparing to fight whoever was thrown her way next.