“And Elina now in a corner, and here comes Fiona for a big hit!”

Elina waited until Fiona was just a few feet away to counter, holding onto the middle rope for support and swinging both legs up in a stopping move. Elina’s boots thudded against Fiona causing the latter to stumble back. It was still early in the match and Elina had not yet taken a single hit. A windup move like a corner run on an unfazed and fresh opponent was a foolish choice.

“And Fiona‘a charge is halted.” Dan Rich’s tone dropped.

“Elina’s got something in mind…” Rhonda nodded toward the veteran.
Elina turned in place and stepped up onto the middle rope, placing her hands on the top to brace herself. Without looking over her shoulder Elina bounced in place twice to build momentum before vaulting backward off the middle rope - spreading her arms and legs wide.

“Moonsault!” Brent shouted as Elina flew right towards Fiona.

Fiona had to remind herself to stay calm and not get desperate. She knew she needed to build the match's energy and get herself and Elina running, but she had to find a way to stun her a little first, otherwise she'd just get stopped cold, like Elina just did with a double-boot to the body.

That being said, the double-boot didn't properly stun Fiona long enough for Elina to attempt a middle rope moonsault, an overconfident move from the luchadora that heavily underestimated Fiona's toughness. She rolled backwards, letting Elina slam herself to the mat right in front of her, taking the wind out of her and getting the first real cheers out of Fiona's own fans for the match.

"Fiona dodges!" Dan Rich exclaimed. "Here's the opening she's been looking for."

She came up behind Elina, who was getting back to her knees, slipping both arms underneath the luchadora's. With the double underhook applied, Fiona went for the suplex again, this time landing it cleanly, smacking Elina's head onto the mat and flipping her over onto her knees again. Getting to her feet, Fiona followed up by bouncing off the nearby ropes and coming back in with a sliding clothesline, driving her extended arm into Elina's upper chest and neck area.

"Beautiful sequence by Fiona," Rhonda commented excitedly. "She just needs a small opening, guys, and she can make you pay for it. I think we've got a match on our hands here."

Getting some real hits in on Elina felt great, but Fiona was eager to really capitalize on the advantage while she had it. Grabbing Elina's wrists, she hauled her up to her feet and then sent her running for the ropes. As she rebounded and came charging back, Fiona went into a spin, taking her eyes off her target for a moment to generate as much power as she could on a strike aimed right at Elina's painted-on mask.

Elina ducked under Fiona’s strike and stayed on the move. She sprinted to the opposite ropes, ricocheting off them with speed. In a flash Elina leaped, twisting mid-air and crashing into Fiona’s torso with a crossbody, pancaking her down onto the mat with a loud thud.

“A hard crossbody by Elina off the ropes…” Dan Rich noted.

Elina stood up and pulled Fiona up by her right wrist. Once both women were upright Elina released Fiona’s arm and drove a hard right kick to Fiona’s gut, buckling her over, then wrapping her right arm around Fiona’s exposed neck. With her opponent secured in a headlock for the moment Elina smiled wide at the crowd, raising her left hand high and waggling her fingers dramatically before slapping her palm across Fiona’s shoulders and falling back. Fiona’s forehead was drilled into the mat in a swift DDT.

“And a DDT with a little flavor added!”

Elina gracefully kipped up and again held both arms out, towering over the downed Fiona as the arena cheered her on. Elina then looked down at Fiona and with a cold sneer began stomping Fiona’s exposed back without mercy.

“And a flurry of stomps from Elina!”

After about six blows to Fiona the referee stepped forward and instructed Elina to let up. Elina shouted something back at the official with a defiantly outstretched hand but momentarily ceased her assault.

“And Elina is starting to get a bit vicious now.” Dan Rich said.

“You bet she is,” Brent replied, “I think when Fiona went on that little rally there it made Elina want to beat a little respect into her.”

Elina reached down and yanked Fiona up by the straps of her top, manhandling her toward the east-side ropes facing the commentary table. She wrapped her left arm around Fiona’s neck from behind, catching her in a headlock for the second time.

“Oh, here we go…” Brent leaned forward knowing what to expect next. Elina took two steps forward followed by a small hop, her feet connecting with the middle rope. Elina quickly pushed off the rope with both feet and swung both legs to the left around the front of Fiona while shifting her weight in the same direction. Elina whirled around, slinging and dragging Fiona down with her. Fiona’s head again was slammed into the mat in a finisher that electrified the whole arena.

“A springboard DDT!” Dan Rich yelled out.

“Lights out!” Brent smacked both hands on the table.

“And now the cover…”

Elina rolled Fiona over, hooked her right leg, and stuck her tongue out as the referee dropped for the first count of the match.

Again Fiona went for too much, too soon, and this time she paid for it badly. Elina moved swiftly from one brutal attack to the next, seemingly knowing exactly what she wanted to do. Her crossbody left Fiona reeling long enough for Elina to pull her up and land a vicious kick to her midsection, then dropping her with a DDT before she knew what was happening.

The crowd loved it. Fiona couldn't remember a fight where so much of the crowd was hoping to see her face down on the mat, and it wasn't making it any easier for her to shake off the DDT and get up. That left her wide open to half a dozen merciless stomps to her back. Fiona felt the vitriol in every one, like Elina had taken personal offense to Fiona daring to fight back in this match.

She was lucky the referee stepped in to break it up, but with the sudden massive aching across her back, Fiona struggled to rise. Elina helped her with that, tugging the straps of her top to roughly yank her into a shaky stand. Got to get out of this fast... But she wasn't as decisive as she needed to be, unable to land an elbow strike or shove her off before she was walked to the ropes and subjected to a second DDT, the springboard giving this one much more force.

Fiona actually was lights out for just a moment as she lay face down on the mat again, but her senses returned as she was rolled over, the lights hitting her eyes filtered through the dark hair strewn across her face. She felt Elina on top of her, Fiona's right leg hooked and pulled up, her shoulders down...

"One! Two!"

Fiona kicked out at two, getting her right hand up, and then hearing the jeers of Elina's fans. She groaned in pain, laying back to the mat and brushing the hair out of her eyes, her other gloved hand instinctively finding her lower back, still aching from those stomps. Shit, this is bad. The two DDTs were giving her a lot of dizziness to fight through, too much for Fiona to handle at the moment.

"Did we learn nothing about counting Fiona out too early, Brent?" Rhonda asked after the kickout. "Still, that was as brutal as it was stylish. Elina really showing Fiona why she's a former champ."

What had been an even fight not long ago had now swung heavily in the luchadora's favor. Fiona wasn't going to be put away by that early of a finisher, but for the moment she was still completely vulnerable to Elina continuing the assault. Gotta keep calm and focused. If she gives me a good chance to counter, I can't afford to miss it...

Elina grabbed Fiona by her arms, jerking her upright and taking advantage of her disoriented state to spin her around. The former champion pulled Fiona around to face the commentary table and the eager crowd. Elina looped her right arm around Fiona’s neck while her other hand tightened around her own wrist, applying relentless pressure. An excited surge went through the crowd, Elina had won many matches with her submission skills and this could be another under her belt, so to speak. Her first NMW win at that.

“And now Elina has Fiona in a chokehold,” Dan Rich pointed out, “Anyone that knows about Elina knows that submissions are her bread and butter!”

“Fiona has got to get out of this fast or this match is over…” Rhonda added.

“No doubt,” Brent scoffed, “and even if Fiona doesn’t give in the longer she’s in this hold the more damage is done. Submissions holds aren’t just about a tap after all, a draining chokehold, an armbar, or an ankle lock can seal the deal in a match. If an opponent is hobbled or dizzy then they can’t fight.”

Elina’s eyes narrowed, her facing scrunching up into an unflattering expression as she began making sharp jerking motions with her right arm to try and send “jolts” of pain through Fiona’s neck and head. Elina started tilting back, the commentators immediately knowing what was coming.

“Oh, Elina‘a trying to take it to the ground,” Brent shouted, “It’s hard enough to get out of a submission hold standing, on the floor it’s even harder!”

“But Fiona’s trying to fight through it, Brent!” Dan Rich exclaimed.

And Fiona still had a lot of fight left in her. She couldn't stop Elina from putting her in a rear chokehold, but she did manage to get a hand around her opponent's arm to keep it from being locked in fully, giving her just a little bit of breathing room. It saved her from needing to tap or being put to sleep, but Fiona still needed to fight her way out. Her head quickly started to pound from the pressure, and she could barely breathe.

The sharp motions from Elina were effective, worsening the pain and increasing the pressure. The crowd was muffled at this point for Fiona, but she knew they were rooting for Elina to put her away, or just enjoying the struggle. Some probably wanted to see the match keep going, though, and Fiona did her best to oblige them.

As Elina started tilting back, Fiona was able to shift slightly, getting a good enough angle to throw her left elbow back hard and catch the luchadora in the midsection. It was a solid strike, loosening the hold and allowing Fiona to slip free. She grabbed Elina's right wrist on the way, spinning around to face her and then dropping to the mat on her back for one of Kendra's favorite moves. Fiona lifted up her right foot high as she fell, pulling Elina's face down hard into the bottom of her boot for an Eat Defeat.

"Nice reversal!" Rhonda shouted. "Now, can she get something going here?"

Fiona had to get back to her feet fast, knowing that wouldn't keep Elina stunned for long. She had the dizziness to contend with as well, but for the moment Fiona was able to keep it under control. Striding over to Elina as she got back to her feet, Fiona hit her with a big boot to the chest, sending her stumbling backwards until she hit the corner turnbuckles. Breaking into a run to cover the short distance, Fiona hopped up onto Elina's thighs and closed her hands around the back of her head, aiming to tilt back and launch her with a monkey flip.

Fiona’s move paid off. Elina flew through the air and crashed down directly onto the NMW skull logo, landing between the black pits of its eyes.

“Monkey flip!” Rhonda shouted.

Dan Rich couldn’t hide his surprise. “I’ll give it to Fiona - it’s not often that you see Elina catapulted like that! Especially by a younger opponent!”

"Let's see if she can capitalize on this momentum," Rhonda added, her eyes darting between Elina and Fiona.

Elina wasted no time, kipping up to her feet and narrowly avoiding Fiona as she charged. Elina ducked behind her opponent and locked both arms around her waist. At first it seemed like Elina was setting up for a German suplex. Instead, she grabbed Fiona’s right wrist and pulled back, forcibly twisting Fiona around. In one smooth motion Elina yanked Fiona forward, stepping into the move and swinging her free arm around with ferocity clotheslining Fiona across the throat. Fiona went down like a sack of potatoes, the mat quivering under her.

“Ripcord lariat! I saw it coming.” Brent boasted.

“And Fiona is down!”

Elina didn’t waste a second, she dashed to the same corner Fiona had flipped her from and ascended the turnbuckle with ease. As soon as she reached the top of the post Elina took a few seconds to survey the crowd, her confidence radiant. With a wide smile she raised her arms high and mimicked a sprinkling motion with her right hand above her left palm. The crowd eagerly followed suit, the gesture in rippling across the arena. With the energy building Elina crouched, poised for the finish.
"Here it comes again…" Brent called out, eyes widening in anticipation. "Moonsault!"
With a graceful leap Elina soared from the top rope, her body a perfect arc as she hurtled down toward Fiona.

Fiona couldn't seem to maintain any momentum in the match. Every time she escaped or countered something from Elina, she couldn't land more than a hit or two before it was turned right back around on her. She thought her monkey flip might've hit Elina hard enough for her to keep it going, but the luchadora was back on her feet just as fast as Fiona, avoiding her charging clothesline and snaring her again. She fought against a suplex only to get spun around and pulled hard into a lariat right into her throat.

She dropped to the mat flat on her back, coughing and stunned. Elina disappeared from her peripheral vision, and Fiona couldn't get herself to move before she saw her opponent soaring gracefully through the air. She came down right on top of her, slamming across Fiona's midsection for a devastating moonsault, the crowd going nuts at seeing her nail the move she'd whiffed earlier in the match.

Fiona couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't stop Elina from securing her leg and going for another pin attempt.

"One! Two! Th-"

Again Fiona kicked out, digging deep and refusing to let this match go just yet. That got a couple boos from the crowd, though it was matched by just as many cheers that wanted to see more action between these two. While she'd kept the match going, Fiona was in rough shape now, gasping for breath and clutching her belly and throat. Elina had spread the damage well, from her head to her neck to her back to her midsection. By comparison Fiona felt like she'd failed with her own hits to do inflict any lasting pain on Elina, unless she was just better at hiding it.

"What a gorgeous moonsault that was," Dan Rich commented. "Not enough to end this match, but Elina looks to be in total control now."

Elina leaned back on her knees next to the downed Fiona, seeming unfazed by her second failed pin. She still isn't taking me seriously, and why should she? She's got me right where she wants me. Still struggling to get her breathing under control, Fiona winced and whined when Elina seized her by the hair and dragged her up to her feet. Her legs were unsteady and wobbly, and while she had no defense, Elina chose not to strike, letting Fiona waver in place until she fell to a knee. The luchadora laughed and turned her attention to the audience instead, posing and waving her hands about.

"Well this is just disrespectful," said Rhonda.

"Elina clearly making the most of her debut with this crowd, which is heavily on her side," added Dan.

"And who can blame her?" asked Brent, as Elina continued to waste time. "She's got Fiona well in hand, and now she's looking to make a statement, put the whole NMW Women's Division on notice. Elina Zamora is here, and she's ready to destroy-"

"Wait, watch out!" Dan Rich interrupted.

As Elina finally turned back to deal with Fiona, she found a strong uppercut waiting for her, catching her right under the chin. She wasn't the first woman to taunt Fiona and expect no repercussions, and she wasn't the first to pay for the mistake either. Either she hadn't done her homework on her opponent, or she thought she was just better than the likes of Ash Weathers and Keysha Wayne and others who had underestimated Fiona's grit.

She surged forward as Elina stumbled back, finding some new strength partially from the time she was given to breathe, and partially just out of spite. She spun into a backfist strike, smacking Elina in the face again and turning her around to face the ropes. Not thinking, Fiona ran forward and jumped onto the middle ropes, springboarding backwards into a moonsault of her own. It was incredibly risky against a standing target, but Fiona managed to make good contact, taking Elina down to the mat.

"Wow!" Dan Rich shouted, disbelieving. "What a combo that was!"

"Absolutely fearless by Fiona!" Rhonda agreed.

She still hit the mat hard herself from the imperfect landing, though, sending a fresh wave of aches through her torso, and for a moment both Fiona and Elina were downed. Come on, get up! She pushed up from her face down position, then tipped over and rolled onto her back towards the ropes. Shit, shit, shit... The ropes were within arm's reach, so she used them to pull herself up while her own strength wasn't enough, soon finding herself up on her feet, but with her back against the corner.

Hanging on to the top ropes on either side of her, Fiona saw that Elina was already back on her feet and stalking towards her, and she did not look amused anymore.

Elina slowed her pace as she closed in on the cornered Fiona, rubbing her chin with her left palm. The two wrestlers’ eyes locked, Elina let her hand fall as she worked her jaw side to side. Fiona was still showing no sign of relenting and to Elina this was an irritation — like repeatedly slapping down a fly that just kept buzzing up from the floor. This was Elina’s debut match for NMW and while the former champion did not expect - nor want - some throwaway jobber that she could not have some fun with Fiona was at this point a nuisance. More than a nuisance, actually. She had already endured two of Elina’s finishers and that in itself was a defiance. Elina raised her right hand and drew her arm back - her fingers and wrist rigid - and whipped it forward with a sharp, punishing knife-edge chop just below Fiona’s throat.

“Oh, a chop to the sternum!” Dan Rich cringed.

Elina’s arm came up and back again, Elina delivering a second chop to the same spot - harder than the first - the crack echoing and causing a wave of “oh’s” across the front row seats.

“A second,” Brent cringed, “I took more than a few of those when I wrestled and they smart.”

Instead of a third chop, Elina swiftly reached under the rope and grabbed Fiona’s right wrist with both hands, a wicked grin spreading across her face. She pressed her right boot against Fiona’s abdomen, using it as leverage, and raised her left leg dropping her upper body down. Nearly all of Elina’s body weight pulled on Fiona’s arm, stretching it painfully against the rope.

“Oh, my God!” Dan Rich exclaimed as the stands went wild.

“That could dislocate Fiona’s wrist!” Rhonda fretted.

The referee rushed forward demanding Elina to stop, which she ignored - prompting him to begin counting to five. It would not matter, just a few seconds of so much pressure on Fiona’s arm would be debilitating.

It seemed like Fiona had gotten under Elina's skin, rather than the other way around, just by continuing to stay in this match. She felt like she was on a ticking clock, though, bordering on exhaustion and unable to put up much in the way of defense. It wasn't going to take much more to keep her down for the count.

Elina was clearly focused on making it hurt, inflicting two agonizing chops against the exposed skin of Fiona's upper chest, leaving her reeling and still trapped in the corner. Then her arm was stretched around the rope, Elina holding her in place with a boot against her midsection, easily getting a scream out of Fiona as she felt like her arm had been set aflame. The referee started the count to force Elina to stop, but of course she got the full four-and-a-half out of it before releasing her. Fiona leaned back against the corner turnbuckles, clutching her wrist against her chest. Come on, one more push, everything I've got...

When Elina moved back in, Fiona was ready this time, using the corner to heft up both legs and snap them shut around the luchadora's head. Fiona let gravity carry her out of the corner and executed a clean hurricanrana takedown, throwing Elina out into the center of the ring.

"And Fiona takes Elina down again!" Dan Rich exclaimed, transfixed on this critical stage of the match.

Rhonda had a wide grin on her face, though she too seemed disbelieving. "There's just no quit in this girl, and here we go!"

Fiona had gotten Elina to her feet with her left arm around her neck, guiding her to the opposite corner. Stepping up onto the ropes, she used them to backflip over the top of Elina and slam her down hard on her back for a shiranui, the same move she'd used to get the pinfall against Ada in her debut.

"What an impact!" shouted Dan Rich. "She's going for the cover, could it be...?"

Fiona caught Elina's leg as it came up after the slam, sliding down on top of Elina and trying to keep her shoulders down. The referee came down with her in a smooth motion, hand smacking the mat.

"One! T-"

But Elina kicked out hard, and got free right away. Fiona knelt at her side, breathing hard and unable to keep the disappointment supressed. Not even a two count... okay, what now? How do I play this? She was really running on fumes now, and had to find some other way to keep the pressure on Elina, keep this offense going, and turn it into another finisher. She ruled out a submission, knowing Elina's experience would win out there, and going straight for an aerial wouldn't work, she'd already delayed too long.

"What a match this has been!" Rhonda commented. "A fantastic showing from both of these women."

Getting to her feet, Fiona grabbed Elina's arm at the wrist and hauled her up with her. Pulling hard, Fiona aimed to Irish Whip her into the corner and continue her offense.

As Fiona swung Elina around Elina countered the Irish Whip, grabbing hold of Fiona’s wrist with both hands just before being released. Elina tugged and sent Fiona running past her toward the west side ropes.

“And a quick reversal by Elina on the Irish Whip…”

After the counter Elina made a fast break for the south side of the ring, she and Fiona bouncing off the west and south ropes in almost perfect synchronization.

“Oh, a crisscross incoming…” Brent’s voice spiked with excitement as both women met in the center of the ring. Elina jumped, reaching her arms out and grabbing ahold of Fiona’s head as she flew by. Fiona was wrenched off her feet, spun around in the air, and driven hard to the mat by Elina in a perfect running facebuster.

“A facebuster off the ropes!” Dan Rich jumped up out of seat followed by Brent and Rhonda.

“Oh, look, Elina’s not done!” Brent pointed as Elina pulled a dazed Fiona up by her elbows. Elina reached up and grabbed Fiona’s hair in two handfuls and dropped to the mat, curling her legs beneath her and snapping her knees upward. Fiona’s face was pounded against Elina’s kneecaps, the impact of the blow sent Fiona sprawling back onto the canvas - arms and legs spread out around her.

“Double knee facebreaker!”

The crowd amped itself up as Elina sat upright and walked on her knees over to Fiona, reaching down and pinning Fiona’s shoulders with both hands. The referee dropped for the count, the thousands of fans sounding off with the strikes of his palm.

”Cover!”

”One!… Two!… Three!…”

“That’s it!” Dan Rich yelled, his hat falling to the table as the Moody Center was rocked by an eruption of cheers, whistles, and applause. Dan and his two colleagues sat back down, a wry half-smile on Dan’s face as he put his hat back on. “Elina Zamora, The Sonoran Rose, on her NMW debut and first opener for the brand wins by pinfall against Fiona Chevalier! What a match!”

“Hey, Rhonda, better go fetch those beers on the break!” Brent shouted smugly past Dan’s shoulders.

“Oh, can it, Brent,” Rhonda waved her hand, “Fiona may have lost but she held her own against a former luchadora champion and she deserves some respect for that!”

“Well, she’s not getting any from Elina, I can tell you that.” Dan nodded to the ring as a smirking Elina reached her right hand down and tauntingly shoved Fiona’s head over to one side. The referee took Elina firmly by one arm and helped her stand, walking her to the center of the ring as she was declared the winner of the first match of the night.

Fiona had kicked out of Elina's first two pin attempts, but there was absolutely no doubt about the third. The swift combo of a facebuster right into a facebreaker left Fiona motionless on her back on the mat save for her exhausted breathing, her eyes closed. Elina didn't need to hook a leg, simply crawling over the top of Fiona and pressing her shoulders down against the mat with her hands. A swift three count later, and Fiona had suffered her first defeat in NMW by pinfall.

Elina shoved Fiona's face to the side, getting a weak groan out of her that was entirely drowned out by the crowd. She'd given it everything to stay in that match as long as she did, but despite all the back and forth and reversals, Elina still seemed to be in decent condition, while Fiona was barely moving. In the end, it felt like a pretty decisive defeat.

"Here is your winner!" the ring announcer shouted. "Elina Zamoooraaa!"

Fiona's head was spinning as Elina basked in the adoration of her fans. She rolled onto her side and tried to hide from the lights. It had been months since she'd been forced to endure her opponent's music blaring down on her after getting beaten in a match, but it never got any easier. Especially not when the opponent was someone like Elina Zamora, who spent a good part of the match taunting and belittling her.

If she hadn't wasted opportunities disrespecting me, she could've pinned me in half the time, Fiona thought, trying and failing to keep the negative thoughts from creeping in. She'd put on a great show, a great match to start the night, but anyone paying attention had seen that Fiona Chevalier wasn't yet on the level where she could seriously compete for a title.

"Stay with us, folks," Dan Rich commented to the TV audience, "we've got more fierce battles like that one coming your way right after these messages."

The celebrations went on well into the commercial break, The Sonoran Rose's debut a wild success, while Fiona couldn't seem to shake off the dizziness, and needed assistance from staff to get from ringside to backstage. Plenty of Elina's fans mirrored her attitude on her way there, taking the opportunity to jeer and mock and laugh at Fiona.

There were nights like her debut, where she felt on top of the world, unstoppable and on the verge of stardom. And then there were nights like tonight, where she felt like she had an eternity still to go.

---

“There she is!” Gordon McKinney’s voice carried down the tunnel, hoarse and shrill at the same time. The NMW assistant producer tottered toward Fiona, his thin-lipped mouth arched in a smile. Even from a distance in the hazily lit backstage area the pit stains around Gordon’s charcoal blazer were visible and his round face shined like a glazed bear claw on a bakery counter. Two women followed close behind him, one being Kendra dressed casual in a gray sweater and black dress pants and the other - of all people - was Keysha Wayne who was in her silvery ring gear. Gordon brushed past a crew member, narrowly avoiding falling into a set of sawhorses as he rushed to meet Fiona.

“That was a solid opening match!” he beamed as he, Kendra, and Keysha stopped in front of the leader of Defiant Dream.

“You held your own, Fiona.” Kendra smiled encouragingly as she handed her partner a blueberry Gatorade and a fresh ice pack. “Against a seasoned wrestler that has held a championship twice now. But… I doubt you want to hear that.”

“You did really good.” Keysha added with a smile herself, arms crossed as she made eye contact with her NMWW rival.

“I… uh… imagine this comes as a… surprise to you.” Kendra stammered with a sideways nod at Keysha who chuckled in response.

“Kendra, Keysha, and myself were just having a little chat before you departed the arena.” Gordon said.

“Well, we had also been talking before the show even started.” Keysha admitted in a low tone.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Gordon held out both hands to assure Fiona, “I think you’ll approve of what we were on about.”

Fiona had insisted to the medical staff backstage that she'd be fine, that she just needed some time to cool off and recover. Being able to lean against a wall for support and close her eyes, just breathing, helped quite a bit. The sounds of the crowd ramping back up for the next match echoed down the hall. Fiona wondered when she'd next get a chance to show them what she could do. Two weeks? Three? If she was going to get the spotlight of opening a show again, would it just be so everyone could see her get taken out by some other experienced heel?

Stop, she told herself. This isn't the end of the world. I can't beat the odds every time. I still gave it everything, and that will resonate with fans, even if I came up short.

Gordon's voice snapped her out of her stupor. Fiona opened her eyes to see him alongside Kendra and Keysha Wayne, who looked ready to go for a match. Instantly Fiona's body language became a bit guarded, turning to face them but still keeping a hand against the wall for support against the dizziness. She was wary of Keysha at the best of times now, and certainly didn't like meeting her when she was exhausted and fresh off a painful loss in the ring.

"Um... thanks," she said to Keysha, feeling left out of the loop. She took a drink of the gatorade her Defiant Dream partner handed her while Gordon and Keysha began to explain. She wasn't sure where the icepack was needed the most, but ended up settling on her back after all those stomps from Elina.

"So what did I miss?"

“Well,” Gordon started, “Keysha and I were having a… discussion about-…”

“About how fed I am with the Beatifics, particularly after my recent one-on-one against Aubrey, and how I want a rematch.” Keysha interrupted, her jaw tight.

“Yes, that.” Gordon nodded, “And I have explained to Keysha that a rematch between herself and Aubrey is just not a priority at this time.”

“And that was when I came along…” Kendra said coyly.

“Look,” Keysha looked back to Fiona, “you and I do have our history. To be honest, I can’t even remember all of it. But I like to think we both dislike the Beatifics more than we ever have disliked each other. I mean… we all remember what they did to you that time in Florida. With the weird… clown makeup… thing…”

“Was it Florida where that happened?” Kendra raised one brow quizzically.

“Anyway,” Keysha raised one hand, indicating she did not want to go on a tangent, “Kendra and I were talking and… lemme just say it would really be something if the three of us together were to finally put the Beatifics in their place. I mean really teach them a lesson and put them down in front of the whole NMW universe.”

Well this was an interesting development. Keysha had an 'enemy-of-my-enemy' proposal for Fiona, and she wasn't all that surprised about it. Watching her debut against Aubrey had been infuriating for Fiona even as a neutral, as she couldn't stand seeing the two of them pull their usual bullshit to steal what could've been Keysha's win. It was somehow even more annoying to see Ash Weathers of all people pull off the win when they tried it again.

Her eyes darted between the three of them as they explained the situation. Fiona certainly hadn't forgotten her trip to Miami, Florida a few short months into her career. The incident with the Beatifics happened on her birthday, the same day she first met Kendra in the ring. The match between Fiona and Abby that followed was still the only no-DQ match she'd fought so far in her career, and with Kendra's intervention and help she somehow pulled off the upset. Abby and Aubrey pretty consistently made Fiona's life hell after that, but that win put Fiona on the map for a lot of fans, and was still probably the biggest victory of her career so far.

Getting any kind of win over Abby and Aubrey would be just the pick-me-up I need after tonight... but how am I supposed to trust Keysha?

The royal rumble in Tokyo was the last time Fiona had been in the ring with Keysha, their temporary alliance ending when Keysha used the respect Fiona tried to offer to annihilate her and lead into her signature Onslaught. Fiona didn't want to give up on building some kind of mutual respect with Keysha, because she was right, she didn't really dislike her at all personally, not like how she felt towards Ash or especially the Beatifics. But after over a year of working with Keysha and seeing how readily she threw hands with anyone in her way, this was going to be a tough sell.

"Let's say I'm interested," Fiona said, knowing Kendra would be disappointed if she refused Keysha outright. "I'm guessing you have something in mind? Some kind of plan?"

“No.” Keysha said flatly, quickly following up with, “I mean… not offhand. I figured it would be a long shot just to get you to hear me out to be honest. But the three of us can definitely come up with something.”

Gordon suddenly cleared his throat, an unpleasant and ragged noise, followed by an interjection, “Pardon me for the interruption, Keysha, but you do remember that all team-ups need to be approved upstairs?”

“I’m not suggesting us forming a team,” Keysha spread her arms defensively, “I am suggesting an alliance between myself and Fiona and Kendra. If just a temporary alliance.”

Gordon clasped his doughy hands together beneath his chin, a look of genuine consideration on his face. Seeing an opening Keysha continued, “Fiona’s rivalry with the Beatifics was one of the top stories back at NMWW. I guarantee that with some pizzazz added by the production team it could be a worthwhile pursuit. Add myself and Kendra and it could-…”

“Yeah, listen,” Gordon lowered his hands and interrupted a second time, “we have a very busy August ahead of us. I can’t promise anything, but I will bring this up to Diana.”

Keysha and Kendra both looked at Fiona in unison, their faces painted with looks of appeal.

To be honest, Fiona kind of liked where this was going so far. She wasn't sure it would stay that way, but having someone like Keysha approach her with what felt like an honest request for an alliance was a nice change of pace. And she was mostly certain Keysha wouldn't think of setting her up and betraying her to the Beatifics. She knew she wasn't lying about disliking Abby and Aubrey more than she disliked Fiona.

"I'm not gonna promise anything either," she decided, "but I will hear out any plans you or management come up with. Abby and Aubrey are never going to stop playing their little games to get an advantage. They're both beatable in a fair fight, but the only way to get one is to play some games of our own."

There was a reason neither of them were in serious contention for a singles title chance, at least as far as Fiona knew. As a team they were lethal, but when split up and forced to fight without any tricks they weren't too far off Fiona's level. Far from an easy win, but no one on the NMW roster was.

"Who knows? Maybe I'm just dazed and this will all seem like a terrible idea tomorrow," Fiona couldn't help but smile darkly at that, "but if there's anyone that can get me to fight a little dirty, it's the Beatifics." She offered a fist bump in Keysha's direction. "So for now, I'm in."

“Well, you definitely should get your head checked… and maybe also take an IQ test after all those shots to the skull,” Keysha snorted and bumped Fiona’s fist, “seriously though, I’m glad that we can squash our old beef. And even if the people upstairs don’t dig us actually working together we can still have each others’ backs. After all… there is a lot of improv in pro wrestling.”

Keysha looked at Gordon, “Right?”

Gordon chuckled nervously, “Well, yes… yes there is.”

“But,” the assistant producer quickly composed himself, “as I said I need to run this little idea past Diana and the others. So, I implore you, Keysha-…”

“I know, I know,” Keysha rolled her eyes, “I’ll be cool and keep it under wraps. Fiona anyway just made it clear that she isn’t promising anything. All I wanted was to be heard out.”

“Good,” Gordon made a rather exaggerated grin for emphasis, “now, if you ladies will excuse me, I have a show to help run.”

Gordon turned and hurried away, Keysha rolling her eyes again and then just as quickly flashing a smile at Fiona. “Thank you for listening. Let’s just say in the last few months I’ve learned a little humility and that it’s better to try and make allies whenever possible and not just look for fights wherever I go.”

Squashing the old beef was the easy part, as Fiona felt like the rivalry between the two of them had never quite become personal. Building actual trust would take time. Keysha could probably benefit from backstabbing Fiona at a key moment to put herself in the spotlight, but then she would be well-and-truly without any friends, and she seemed to understand she couldn't battle her way through the whole NMW roster on her own.

"Feel free to DM us if you want to talk about anything," Fiona offered. "Maybe we can get to training together." It was easy for Fiona to see the benefits in that. Keysha was a far better striker than either Defiant Dream member, and with time could probably help Fiona shore up a pretty glaring weakness in her skillset.

"Likewise," said Keysha, before excusing herself, leaving Fiona and Kendra to talk amongst themselves.

Fiona shifted the icebag Kendra had handed her up to her forehead, sighing and feeling that heavy tiredness start to really settle in. "What a rollercoaster of a night."

She'd made a new and dangerous enemy in Elina Zamora, a woman who seemed a little beyond her skill level in the ring right now. Her dazzling first few weeks in NMW had hit a speed bump with a tough loss, but after transforming an old rivalry into a potential new alliance, Fiona left Austin feeling cautiously optimistic.