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“Hello, No Mercy Wrestling universe.”

In a dimly lit room, NMW assistant commentator Brent Christi sat snugly in a black leather chair, looking straight into a camera positioned several feet in front of him. He was dressed down from his usual flamboyant style, wearing a solid black three piece suit with matching black loafers and a crimson necktie to add some radiance to an otherwise brooding appearance. Brent’s gelled hair was slicked down against his head and glistened in the overhead lighting. His whiskers were neatly trimmed and his face was plastered with a pearly smile that could be printed on a toothpaste box. Brent’s legs were crossed and resting on his left thigh was a clipboard with a few visibly ruffled pages attached.

“Thank you for being with us this Saturday afternoon,” Brent held his gaze on the camera as he shifted in place, the chair leather rustling under his weight, “last night we concluded the first month of No Mercy Wrestling. It brings me glee to say that the NMW fanbase has already grown exponentially, and the hype we see among our fans has both management and the performers so motivated! The past few weeks have given us some great matches, unveiled a number of old and new faces, and had plenty of memorable moments. And we already have some exciting rivalries bubbling up backstage. Well, believe me when I say NMW is just getting started. Intense action in the ring and eye-bulging debuts are just the tip of this proverbial iceberg. It’s been quite a journey already and it is only going to get more exciting.”

“Coming into the month of August we already have several new sign-ons that I think will have the stands shaking,” Brent said, tapping his right index finger against clipboard, “and our executive and creative staff have been putting in the brain time to make sure they implement these new talents in the best ways.”

“And best of all,” Brent’s practiced grin stretched nearly to his ears, “the next few weeks will see the NMW reach a major milestone: the crowning of its first champions!”

“That’s right,” Brent added after a few seconds of pause, his tone rising higher, “a tournament of those chosen from the NMW men and women’s rosters that will culminate in No Mercy Wrestling’s first paid live event. Which will end with two new champions walking out of the arena! Everyone has been waiting and asking to see the metal, and to hear news of who gets a shot at it. Well, here with me to talk more about it is the No Mercy Wrestling CEO himself, Mark Trenton.”

The cameraman immediately reversed the zoom and panned outward, revealing CEO Mark Trenton who sat across from Brent in a matching chair. A simple brown three-legged table filled the space between the two well-dressed men topped with a small, ornamental light piece. Mark wore a navy blue suit over a white dress shirt and a red necktie and sported brown designer shoes on his feet. Like Brent, Mark sat cross-legged and had both arms laid against the leather rests on the sides of his seat. After giving Brent an acknowledging nod Mark turned his own bright smile to the camera.

Fiona had returned to her apartment in New York City after the show in Austin, and for that Saturday she took the entire day off for rest and recovery and a bit of a mental reset. She'd trained extremely hard the previous week in the lead up to her battle against Elina Zamora, only to get pummeled throughout the match and fail to even get Elina to a two-count on her one pin attempt. Kendra had been eager to keep training, wanting to be ready for when she got back in the ring herself, and even suggested they start working with Keysha in the practice ring, but Fiona needed at least a weekend to step away, take a breather, and get her strength back.

Her apartment wasn't huge, but of course living in the city was expensive, and Fiona would have to move right back out if she ever lost her NMW contract. Most 21-year-olds were either in campus dorms, living with multiple roommates, or still stuck with their parents, so Fiona considered herself extremely lucky. The view wasn't bad, her neighbors were quiet, and it was a short trip to the NMW facilities.

She had no plans to even go outside today, though. It was the kind of muggy summer New York day that Fiona wanted no part of, spending the whole day with her hair tied up, no makeup, an oversized t-shirt on, and pants that would only go on when she needed to pick up the food she planned to order in. She had a backlog of video games and a TV show or two to catch up on.

Of course, the day wasn't totally free of NMW, though, as she kept an eye on the time so as to not miss the special livestream announcement from Brent Christi and Mark Trenton. Curled up and comfy on her couch, she flipped the TV over to the stream, grabbing her nearby phone to text Kendra. Stream's live. You watching?

"The crowning of its first champions" caught her attention, and Fiona listened as a tournament was announced. So that's how they're going to do it. She was surprised, actually, as a tournament felt like it left a lot up to chance, when so much seemed to be riding on who these first champions would be. Fiona liked the sound of it, though.

“It’s so good to have you, Mister Trenton.”

“Thank you.” Mark said with a short nod and a smile.

“So,” Brent began, “a tournament to decide the first ever NMW men and women’s champions. Whose idea was it?”

“Our GM, Mister Deguara, and myself both decided on this.” Mark replied. “Firstly, we thought there was no better way to connect with our rapidly growing fanbase than to give them a say - of sorts - in who their first reigning champions would be.”

“And… secondly?” Brent asked after a notable pause.

“Secondly was that Antonio and I just could not agree on who is the most deserving to be given title shots.”

Both men laughed as Fiona received a responding text from Kendra saying that she was watching followed by an “awkward” in all caps.

“So, you say the fans will be the ones deciding… what does that mean?” Brent asked, looking to the camera for emphasis as he finished his question.

Mark followed Brent’s gaze and said in a smooth tone, “Well, as of the very moment that this segment began two polls can be found on the front page of No Mercy Wrestling’s official website. The fans will cast their votes and the top candidates from the men and women’s rosters will have a spot in the tournament. And the opportunity to win the title.”

“Wow!” Brent beamed, eyes still on the camera, “Alright then, everyone better get to voting! When do the polls close?”

“Monday at midnight.”

A tournament with fan-voted participants... Fiona's first instinct was that the titles should go to the best wrestler rather than having any aspect of it be a simple popularity contest, but with just a moment of thought it seemed fine. All the best wrestlers were among the most popular too, and would surely secure a place in the bracket.

On a surface level it felt like the most fair way to determine a winner, too, but just like any other match Fiona knew there'd be potential for meddling in the middle of this tournament. Management would probably welcome a bit of those sorts of tactics, as long as it gave them the kind of drama they were looking for.

She still had a lot of questions. How many would get a spot? Would the matchups and seeding be determined by the vote totals? Depending on the number of participants, Fiona wondered if she'd actually have a chance of making the cut. Opening the last show before the vote was bound to help her some, especially with how short the voting window was. While she lost the match, Fiona put on a good show against a highly-ranked opponent, and was still rising in popularity. She'd be fresh in the minds of a lot of fans going to vote.

If I can sneak in, it would probably mean I'd be up against a massive challenge right away, she thought. Her fight against Elina hadn't done her confidence any favors, but she knew those were the kinds of fights she needed to have in order to keep improving. Any chance to get in the ring against tough opponents was a chance she wanted to take.

“How many overall participants will there be?” Brent asked.

“There will be twelve starting participants for each division.” Mark said smoothly, his eyes again moving to the camera. “The tournament will be bracketed with six matches to begin, each subsequent round seeing more of the competition eliminated until finally only two remain.”

“And those two will then need to give it their all to win and become the first ever champion of their division!” Brent excitedly added.

“Yes.” Mark smiled and nodded.

“How will the bracketing be done?” Brent asked quickly.

“By the voting total.”

“Ah… how do you mean, Mister Trenton?”

“The top twelve picks from each division will have a spot in the tournament. And the initial pairings will be done like this; number one against number twelve, number two against number eleven, number three against number ten…”

“I see,” Brent interjected with a nod, “like many professional sporting franchises during playoffs. To… weed out the lower ranked teams early on so ideally the better teams will be matched up for the climax of the playoffs.

What exactly was the reasoning for doing it like this, if I may ask.”

Mark shifted in his seat as he answered, “Well, aside from the reason you just stated, management was also having a difficult time deciding on who to fairly match against who. We were also worried that it could cause fans of certain wrestlers to feel… ‘duped’. Or lead to suspicion that we were attempting to ‘fix’ matches and navigate our own choice for champion to the finish.”

Fiona would immediately get a text from Kendra. Jeez, are things really THIS contentious in the upper office? followed by a skull emoji.

Twelve participants... that was more than Fiona had expected, and enough to tell her that she would definitely be fighting in this tournament. She had no idea where exactly her popularity would land her, but somewhere just inside the top ten seemed like a safe bet. And with how Mark explained the matchups, that would mean she'd be up against a top five opponent. Thrown into the fire against Raven Veyn, or Abby Beatific before I can get anything figured out with Keysha, maybe an immediate rematch with Elina... who knows?

There wasn't much point worrying about it until the votes were counted, but Fiona was already feeling motivated to get back in the gym and get training again. The first round matches would be starting on Friday, and there was no guarantee that the scheduling would give her a week off after her loss to Elina.

She picked her phone up off the couch to read Kendra's text. I guess so, she replied, and somehow I doubt this tournament will be the end of it, no matter who wins.

“So, I can confidently say that we all already know some of the names expected to make the final list,” Brent said, “do you have any predictions you would care to give at this moment?”

“I could,” Mark replied wryly, “but I am going to refrain from doing so. I don’t want to in any way influence the voting or give an impression of bias.”

“I understand.” Brent responded with a casual wave of his left hand, though there was a flash of disappointment on his face. “So, what can you tell us about the tournament itself, Mister Trenton? What kind of action can everyone expect?” Brent leaned slightly to one side as he made his next query.

“The first round of the tournament will be made up of singles matches with the standard ruleset,” Mark began, “after all of which are done only six of the twelve chosen wrestlers will remain. The second round will be where the rules go out the window.” Mark paused again, letting his words hang for a few seconds then continuing. “Next will be a round of extreme rules matches; tables, chairs, kendo sticks, and no ringside ten counts. After this there will only be three wrestlers left.”

“And what then?”

“A three person steel cage match,” Mark declared, his tone becoming upbeat, “the two contestants to make it out of the steel cage in the third and final round will go on to face each other in a singles match for the championship.”

Another pause.

“And… this will be the layout for both the men and women’s division?”

“Yes.”

Wow, Fiona texted Kendra again, this sounds like it'll be brutal.

So if she could get past whoever was waiting for her in the first round, Fiona's reward would be an extreme rules match against probably an even tougher opponent. Fiona had only ever fought in one no-DQ match in her career, and while she'd managed to come away with the victory, just barely, it wasn't something she was eager to do again. Using weapons, using the environment, brawling outside the ring, it was all stuff she didn't train in, tactics that didn't come naturally to her.

And beyond that was a triple threat steel cage match where one unlucky wrestler would get left behind, just short of a chance at the title. This was promising to be a grueling August for NMW's top wrestlers, as the winners in many cases wouldn't even get a week off to rest before they had to fight in the next round. It would be a test of endurance throughout the month just as much as it was a test of skill in the individual matches.

All that remained now was to wait and see how the voting panned out. Fiona was confident she would make the cut, but who she'd be facing? She had no idea.

Fiona kept watching for a bit longer to make sure she didn't miss anything important, but when the segment ended and switched over to a recap of the last week's matches, she turned it off. She had resolved to take the day to relax, and even the announcement of the upcoming tournament wasn't going to change that.

She went in search of a show to watch, texting with Kendra well into the evening and chatting about anything and everything other than wrestling. She'd be back to work soon with a challenging month ahead, so Fiona knew she had to get herself well-rested while she could.

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It was a cool night in Saint Louis, the first night of August. The city was lively as always and brilliantly lit up by the glow of skyscrapers, street lamps, and an endless flow of evening commuters coursing through the streets. Car horns blared, sirens wailed, and the voices of thousands of people carried high above the ground. Tonight, however, there was something that gave Saint Louis a “greater” energy. Something that had the eyes of sports entertainment fans and aficionados directed at the STL. - The Rubicon Gauntlet.

No Mercy Wrestling, the hottest new independent wrestling promotion, had been live for just one month now. And even with all the excitement of recent signings by new talent, rivalries building up in the ring, and the clear drama between management that the fans seem to be eagerly soaking in, there was something obvious lacking - reigning champions. The last two weeks of July had seen the NMW fans endlessly pleading to the see the metal and calling for the first title matches in the infant brands’ history. CEO Mark Trenton and General Manager Antonio Deguara “agreed” that there was no way to decide among both the men and women’s rosters which two rising stars would be best suited to be put forth up as potential champions. Even without considering the array of talent on both rosters, the executives in the company cherry picking two wrestlers from each division would just sew resentment among many of the fans as well as anger much of both rosters. After some discussion among upper management it was settled that a tournament would be the best way to decide who among the rosters would face off at a special PLE finale - another first for NMW - to crown the men and women’s champions.

A poll was posted online to allow the fans to vote for their choice wrestlers and after sixty hours the decisions were in. Twelve men and twelve women were chosen by the NMW fans for a shot at the title by fighting their way through the aptly named Rubicon Gauntlet. The two who survived a variety of matches over three rounds in four weeks would face off in a final epic title match on August thirtieth at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first half of the first round was to take place in Saint Louis, Missouri and would consist of normal rules matches. The Enterprise Center was sold out with every seat filled and plenty of fans crowded in the parking lot and surrounding areas, tailgating and enjoying the opening men’s match on the big screens outside.

Tonight was the first night of what was expected to be a phenomenal few weeks for No Mercy Wrestling. The men and women that were part of this tournament were all part of something historic for the brand and they would all be remembered for years to come.

One short week after her defeat against Elina Zamora, Fiona was geared up to wrestle again, hoping to erase the disappointment of that match with a statement win. August's shows were going to be a different beast entirely to NMW's debut month, and Fiona knew that if she won tonight, no one would care that she'd come up short against Elina. That was a big 'if' however.

The voting went even better than she'd hoped, landing her in the eighth seed going into the tournament to decide the women's champion. Fiona couldn't help but feel an immense satisfaction seeing Ash Weathers two spots behind her, knowing she'd be fuming about that. Ash had done everything possible in July, winning both her matches and beating Aubrey Beatific with her twin sister ringside, and it still wasn't enough to get her ahead of Fiona with the fans, despite Fiona coming fresh off a loss. Just goes to show that I'm resonating with fans really well, win or lose. And Ash is about to find out how hard it is to take down Elina.

As the eighth seed, Fiona was matched up against fifth place, and it was a name that had come out of nowhere and grabbed the attention of the NMW fans: Shin Choon-hee. The young Korean superstar and Fiona had shared rookie seasons the previous year, and while Fiona had impressed the fans, Shin Choon-hee had blown them away, not to mention defeated Fiona on two separate painful occasions. Her first match against her in her hometown of Seattle had been a one-sided domination, Fiona losing control early and unable to turn things around before she was too battered to kick out. She'd needed to claw her way back to earn a chance to battle Shin Choon-hee again for the title of Rookie of the Year, and while their rematch was much closer, again Fiona had come up short, forced to submit after some timely intervention from the Beatifics.

Tonight would be the next chapter in their rivalry. Shin Choon-hee, now a tag champion in Korea, was looking to start her run for NMW singles gold by taking down Fiona and silencing any remaining whispers that she only beat her last time with the Beatifics' help. On the other side, Fiona was the underdog again, searching for her first win over Shin Choon-hee and the start to what would be a Cinderella story if she could make it through more than one round of this stacked tournament.

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Fiona waited with Kendra backstage while the first match of the night neared its conclusion. The boys had opened the show's slate of first round matches, and the crowd's energy was incredible. Fiona and Shin Choon-hee would face off next to begin the girls' side of things, and Fiona couldn't deny she was nervous. She'd recovered from her loss to Elina physically, but only had a few days to get training in during what was otherwise a whirlwind week.

NMW's stylists had encouraged her to let them take the reins on putting together her ring attire for what was bound to be the brand's biggest shows yet. They came back with an updated look for her, featuring a tight fishnet bolero shrug over a shimmering light blue and black bra top. The biggest departure was the pleated black leather miniskirt they picked for her, with a grommet belt and a low-rise fit to show off her midriff. Fishnet tights matched the shrug, and the boots were what she was comfortable with, tall covers laced up the front and secured with multiple straps. She had a cropped black leather jacket for her entrance, and while she wasn't sure about it at first, once she had the whole getup on, her long hair reaching to the middle of her back and shining, it felt right. Feminine and definitely a little sexy, but with her own personal touch, that blend of somehow both cute and badass.

Kendra was with her, and Fiona was thankful for that. It wasn't going to be an easy month for her tag partner, she knew that, as Kendra's chances of getting in the ring were slim to none until this title tournament business was done, but management had teased the start of tag matches afterwards, so Fiona hoped it wouldn't be too long before they got a chance to actually compete together. For now, she needed her there for backup. Shin Choon-hee's tag partner was in the building and would almost certainly be ringside as a manager, so Fiona knew she'd be handing her opponent an advantage if she went out there alone. She didn't like fighting with anyone ringside, the unnecessary distractions usually working against her more than anything, but if Shin Choon-hee was going to try it, Fiona wanted someone who could play a little defense for her.

"Third time's the charm, right?" she asked Kendra, exhaling a deep breath. The crowd went nuts beyond as a finisher was landed, and it sounded like the first match was just about to end.

"Oh, definitely," Kendra encouraged her. "You've got this, Fiona."

On paper, her rival did just about everything Fiona did, and most of it better. They were both fast, but Shin Choon-hee was a little faster. They both ran off momentum, but Shin Choon-hee had better strikes, with some of the more devastating kicks Fiona had ever taken. They both liked taking to the skies and had a few submission and weardown holds to go for, with one such move being what had put Fiona to sleep last time. She was a brutal and ruthless fighter, and Fiona knew it was going to take a lot of toughness, heart, and skill to come out on top.

She had to believe she was up to the challenge.

“And we are back after a short break, we at No Mercy Wrestling want to thank Enterprise for the use of their arena here in Saint Louis tonight. Enterprise, ‘We’ll pick you up.’”

Dan Rich, Brent Christi, and Rhonda Pierce sat in their usual spots at the announcers table, Dan Rich in the middle with Rhonda and Brent to the right and left of him. While the three commentators were always well-dressed, tonight was a particularly special occasion what with it being NMW’s first tournament and the beginning of the turbulent road to crowning the first champions of No Mercy Wrestling. Dan Rich was wearing a tan colored suit with a dark brown cowboy hat, Brent wore a wine colored suit complete with a light green bow tie and gold cufflinks, and Rhonda had a dark blue pantsuit on and thick, red rimmed glasses.

The Enterprise Center was at capacity and security was working to keep the mob of rabid fans that were stranded in the tunnel at bay. The opening match of the night, the first of the Rubicon Gauntlet, had ended by pinfall and the fans were still hyped up, seats rumbling from stomping feet as shrill whistles and air horns cut through the air. Jay Wyatt, who was back from his injury, had made a dramatic entrance complete with mesmerizing pyro effects and an energy that could not be compared. Jay had just defeated the eleventh seed, Zeik Channing, a new signing that had been recruited by Antonio Deguara - which made Zeik’s defeat satisfying for many. The Astro Kid’s return was something that the NMW fans had needed and Wyatt’s comeback performance being a tournament win that was part of a championship bid had morale high in the stands.

“Boy, Dan,” Brent smiled next to his fellow commentator, “this place is still rocking after that fiery intro and subsequent win by Jay Wyatt!”

Dan Rich nodded, “The NMW fans had all been left in wonder about Jay Wyatt after his crushing defeat at the hands of Mihailo Vasić and to see Jay here tonight like he was and to see him win and advance towards the championship lit the fans’ souls on fire.”

“Well put, Dan.” Rhonda grinned.

“Well, we have only just begun tonight,” Brent said, “we still have five matches left tonight including the highly anticipated main event between Uberto Cafrune and Ryuzoji Daigo.”

“And our next match I think will just further stoke the flames because next up we have Fiona Chevalier versus the recently signed… Shin Choon-hee!” Dan Rich said straight into the nearest camera, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

“A longtime rival of Fiona Chevalier,” Rhonda followed up, “these two were both signed to No Mercy Women’s Wrestling and faced each other twice.”

“And both times Fiona lost to the Korean prospect,” Brent interjected, “the first time in Fiona’s hometown of Seattle and the second time Fiona lost the NMWW rookie award to Shin Choon-hee.”

“Well, the second time can partially be accredited to interference by the Beatifics.” Rhonda said, leaning around Dan to make direct eye contact with Brent. “I saw the match.”

“We both did,” Brent retorted, “I-…”

“No,”, Rhonda interrupted, “I saw that match live as a fan of NMWW, you watched clips from it on your phone three hours ago at the hotel.”

Brent was about to say something else when Dan Rich raised both hands in a “quiet down” gesture, saying, “This is a match fans have been eager for with real ‘big screen drama’ implications. Shin Choon-hee had returned to South Korea late last year where she won the women’s tag team championship for Pro Wrestling Society. She is in fact still one half of the reigning women’s tag team champions for PWS. Shin is due to return to Seoul tomorrow after this match and relinquish her tag team title in a symbolic fashion.”

“And then there is Fiona Chevalier,” Rhonda said, “a former NMWW member that has grown and developed so much over the past year and a half, who now finds herself with the opportunity to be the first to raise the NMW women’s championship belt high over her head! But, unfortunately for her, the first obstacle in her path is a woman that has beaten her twice.”

“The stakes are high but so are the risks,” Dan Rich nodded, “I have been calling Fiona’s matches for almost two years now and I know how much she wants this. I know how much she wants to be on top of the mountain. And I know that she has a real fire inside of her and a ‘never give up’ attitude. I think if she can win here tonight she will have the momentum needed to press on ahead.”

“Well, we’re about to find out!”

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall!" The ring announcer took over from the commentary, getting the ball rolling for the show's second match of the night. "It is a first round match of the Women's Rubicon Gauntlet!"

Fiona's music kicked in as blue and white lighting took over the arena, the spotlights all centering on the screen and ramp, which launched into a mixed montage of Fiona's in-ring action and some of the photoshoots and video promos she'd done for NMW already. She came out to warm cheers from the crowd, walking with a confident strut and a bit of playfulness down towards the ring, Kendra a few paces back. She gave out a few high fives, but her overall demeanor in front of the fans was a little less bubbly than usual, not surprising given who she was up against.

"Introducing first, accompanied by Kendra Snipes... from Seattle, Washington, Fiona Chevaaalieerr!"

She strode around the corner of the ring, stepping up onto the apron and turning to face the crowd before she unzipped her leather jacket and shrugged it off, tossing it down to an event staffer. She put her elbows up on the top rope, resting one foot on the bottom one and tilting her head and smiling a little for the camera beneath her as the cameraman came around. She then bounced on the bottom rope and used it to flip up and over backwards over the top rope, landing smoothly on her feet and forcefully flipping her long black hair back behind her, smiling more fully for the crowd.

"Fiona has really developed into a rising star in this business," Dan Rich declared, "and it looks like she means business tonight. I can't wait for this!"

"I won't deny her career is taking off," Brent countered, "but we're about to compare a commercial jet to a rocketship, guys. With the same experience, Shin Choon-hee is already a champion, and we saw last week how Fiona fared against real championship material."

"She's got a tall task ahead, no doubt," admitted Rhonda, "but she nearly took down Shin Choon-hee last time. If she can minimize the mistakes, she can-"

"Last time was a year ago, Rhonda." Brent wasn't having it. "And since then Shin Choon-hee has done nothing but win. Can Fiona win with a mistake free match? Sure, but we haven't seen that kind of consistency from her yet. She can have all the 'never give up' attitude she wants, I don't think she'll hold up under this level of firepower."

"Both of these young ladies have something to prove tonight," Dan concluded, "not to mention the chance to continue in the Rubicon Gauntlet on the line. It should be a great one."

Fiona stepped down from the corner she'd been playing to the crowd in, her entrance time just about up. She and Kendra hugged briefly in the ring before her tag partner exited, leaving Fiona alone between the ropes with the ring announcer and the referee. Fiona was trying not to think about her history with Shin Choon-hee, and certainly not about what awaited her if she actually won. If she focused on anything other than the task at hand, she knew Shin Choon-hee would make short work of her again. The Korean woman hit like a truck despite being similar size to Fiona, and was absolutely devastating with momentum.

The fans gave me this chance with the votes, she reminded herself. I've got all the tools to win this. Just need to give it everything from bell to bell, and put on the show they came here to watch.

The crowd had barely settled after Fiona’s entrance when shades of dark red began crawling across the arena’s bannister screens, the titantron turning an oily black. A keyboard began playing over the speakers followed by a low, seductive woman’s voice saying, “I’m a snake”. Bold, crimson lettering then appeared on the big screen, spelling “Shin Choon-hee” as a k-pop song erupted. The titantron flashed between black and white in sync with the song’s beat while the red lettering was unchanged. Cheers and thunderous applause rippled through the Enterprise Center as Shin Choon-hee and her tag team partner, Choi Minji, strolled out onto the stage together.

Both women wore heavy black overcoats with white fur collars and sleeves, their eyes concealed by identical red star-shaped sunglasses. Resting on their right shoulders were matching silver and gold plated championships with brown leather belts - the Pro Wrestling Society women’s tag team titles. Shin Choon-hee and Choi Minji stepped up to the edge of the ramp, visibly smirking as they raised their belts high in perfect tandem, drawing an even more ecstatic reaction from the fans as the silver and gold gleamed under the arena lights.

“Look at those belts.” Dan Rich said as Shin and her partner brought their titles back down to rest on their shoulders. With a swagger in their step the two walked side-by-side down the ramp, casually waving at the fans as they scanned the arena.

“And her opponent,” the ring announcer began again, “from Seoul, South Korea, accompanied by her partner, Choi Minji, one half of the Pro Wrestling Society women’s tag team champions, Shin… Choon-hee”

Shin raised her left hand high, fingers waggling in the air. Her self-assured smirk was now a confident smile as she took the lead halfway down the ramp, Choi falling in behind her. The more zealous fans reached eagerly over the barriers at the passing champions, neither of whom offered any high fives, handshakes, or passing nods.

“Shin Choon-hee is all business tonight,” Rhonda said as the champions reached the end of the ramp, “she came here to win a match and has no time for anyone other than her opponent, Fiona Chevalier.”

Shin approached the ringside, stopping near the apron. She slowly reached up and lifted her sunglasses from her eyes and handed them nonchalantly to her partner, Shin now making direct eye contact with Fiona in the ring. The fans ringside looked between the two women, absorbed in the tension of a longtime rivalry that was already straining dangerously before the match even began. And Shin had something that was meant to further aggravate this tension.

“The champion sizing up the competition.” Brent remarked.

Without looking away from Fiona, Shin Choon-hee reached into her coat with her left hand, pawing around for something she had concealed inside. After a few seconds she withdrew her hand, now gripping something large and metallic, and once again raised her tag team championship belt high above her head. At the same time, Shin lifted her left hand to reveal what she had taken from her coat - the 2024 No Mercy Women’s Wrestling Rookie of the Year Award.

“Is that…?” Rhonda started.

“Oh, my… yes, it is!” Dan Rich followed up, “That in Shin Choon-hee’s left hand is the Rookie of the Year award that she won last year at No Mercy Women's Wrestling when she beat Fiona! She brought it with her tonight!”

“Talk about disrespectful and talk about trying to get into your opponents’ head!” Brent said, eyes wide.

“Talk about bitter nostalgia!” Dan Rich replied.

Shin Choon-hee lowered her tag team title and the rookie award back down slowly, never breaking eye contact with Fiona. Shin’s confident smile was now back to a dark, arrogant sneer which contrasted the upbeat energy of her theme song still playing.

“Shin Choon-hee came here tonight to win and she decided to bring along a reminder of what happened the last time Fiona stepped in a ring with her.”

Fiona was determined not to let herself get rattled by Shin Choon-hee before the match even began, which was clearly what she was trying to do. Shin had always been uncompromising and more than a little mean, and their year apart seemed to only have amplified that attitude, that sense of superiority she had, which few could say she hadn't earned. She was the real prodigy in the ring, come to kick the upstart Fiona back down for the third time.

But Fiona wasn't accepting that. If anything, holding up that award reminded Fiona of just how close she'd come, and how evenly matched the two of them had been last time. If just a few more things went her way tonight, and she fought with the same determination, she could emerge the winner. So she held Shin's gaze, nodding and rolling her wrists, feeling the energy in her building just as it did in the crowd.

Shin hopped up onto the apron and slipped between the top and middle ropes as her partner stepped over to their corner. The tag team champion walked confidently toward the center of the ring, her expression souring as she looked Fiona up and down with unhidden disdain. She then turned to face one side of the arena and for the third time held her belt high for the fans, prompting a final sweeping wave of cheers, whistles, and chants as her theme faded and the lighting returned to normal. Satisfied that she had upstaged Fiona, Shin Choon-hee walked to her corner ready for the match to begin.

The referee checked over their gear, Shin's coat, championship belt, and NMWW award needing to be cleared off to the side. Choi Minji and Kendra remained on their respective partners' sides to start. Fiona hoped they'd both stay put and simply offer encouragement, but she knew better than to expect that. She'd have to stay ready for distractions, and not let them throw her off her game.

"And it looks like we're ready to get this one started!" commentated Dan Rich, as the bell rang. "The Women's Rubicon Gauntlet is underway with Shin Choon-hee taking on Fiona Chevalier!"

Fiona came flying out of the gates, leaping at Shin and managing to catch her a little flat-footed right at the bell. She'd never used a Thesz Press before in a match, and she had to believe her opponent wasn't expecting it, as she was able to take her to the mat and get in two or three decent strikes before she was thrown off to the side.

Getting to her feet first, Fiona was able to get good leverage on a high grapple against Shin, pushing forward hard and managing to drive her back into her corner. She kept pushing, at least until the referee stepped in and demanded she break the hold. She complied, but then used the opening to land a wicked slap right across Shin's cheek, the sound ringing out in the arena and getting a shocked and delighted reaction from the crowd.

"Oh!" Rhonda shouted. "I felt that one! Fiery start from Fiona, sending a message right back after that taunting before the bell."

Fiona backed off as the referee stepped between the two of them, letting Shin out of the corner and resetting the fight. Fiona's expression was still focused and serious even after that slap, not even a smirk. Satisfying as it was, she knew it would just make Shin want to do worse right back to her. It was just the start of what promised to be a very intense match.

They collided again in the middle of the ring, Fiona able to use Shin's aggression against her, getting hold of her left wrist and whirling around behind her, twisting her arm around painfully behind her back. With her other arm Fiona tried to secure Shin's neck, looking to continue applying pressure to her shoulder and start wearing her down.

“A wrist lock by Fiona…”

Shin Choon-hee narrowly avoided being caught by the neck, snapping her free hand upward to seize Fiona’s wrist before the latter could lock in the hold. Shin grunted fiercely as she struggled, her right arm twisted into an awkward angle that left her relying on sheer upper-arm strength to keep Fiona from closing in on her neck.

“Shin Choon-hee now trying to keep Fiona from tying her up in an early chokehold…” Dan Rich observed. Shin dropped low, twisting her body around causing Fiona to lose her grip on Shin’s wrist, Shin wrenching her arm free as both women ended up on their backs.

“A nice reversal by Shin to get free.” Brent followed up.

Shin kipped up gracefully, getting to her feet before Fiona. Shin rushed Fiona, going for a low tackle as her opponent raised up.

Fiona was up on her feet in time to react, quickly dodging to her right and seizing Shin's left arm against by the wrist. She twisted and used her opponent's momentum against her, pulling Shin to the mat face down. With both hands pinning that left arm down away from her side and vulnerable, Fiona hoisted herself into a handstand before dropping a knee down on her above the elbow, pounding the arm.

"This is nice stuff from Fiona early here," Rhonda commented. "She seems like she came prepared tonight."

Fiona tried to transition into an armbar, rolling onto her back and trying to pull Shin's extended left arm up off the mat, but she couldn't quite keep her pinned beneath, as Shin was able to flip over and nearly roll Fiona up. She gave up on the attempt, getting to her feet and still maintaining that hold on Shin's hand and wrist, keeping her left arm locked straight and twisted painfully. Pulling her forward suddenly, Fiona lashed out with an elbow strike to her rival's temple, knowing she'd need to keep her stunned and mix up her offense if she wanted to keep damaging that arm.

"Fiona's bringing Shin Choon-hee to the ropes now, what's she got in mind...?" asked Dan Rich.

After reaching the ropes, pulling Shin along by the arm, Fiona stepped up to the middle rope near the corner before hopping back down into the ring and switching sides with Shin. She let gravity assist her as she tried to pull Shin down for an arm drag throw back into the middle of the ring.

“An arm drag and a throw off the ropes!”

“Fiona has taken control of the match early here, if she can maintain this momentum we may see an upset tonight.” Rhonda said.

Shin Choon-hee kipped up again, overall unfazed save for the slight grimace on her face and the slow rotations of her left arm. Choi Minji yelled something from the corner at Shin who immediately shouted back in an acidic tone. ”Jeoneun je seuseulo ssaul su issseubnida.”

“And what may have been words of advice to Shin Choon-hee from her partner, Choi Minji. My… Korean is admittedly not good.” Dan Rich mused.

“You don’t speak a single word of Korean.” Brent snickered.

“How do you know?” Dan asked with joking indignation.

“Alright, ring some off.” Brent said.

“Let’s, uhm… focus on the match.” Dan replied with a smile.

Shin Choon-hee brushed some stray strands of hair from her face and moved slowly toward Fiona, both arms raised. Once she was in range of her opponent, Shin quickly shifted all her weight onto the ball of her left foot and brought her right leg up and around. With surprisingly fast rotation, Shin spun in a perfect three-sixty move and went for a roundhouse kick to Fiona’s head. Shin’s kick whiffed by just barely missing, her heel inches away from Fiona’s face. Fiona tried to go for a quick counter only to be forced back toward the ropes as her opponent instantly followed up with a second spinning kick that came even closer than the first. A collective “ooh” rose up from the ringside seats. There was no doubt that if either of those attacks had landed Fiona would have been knocked flat.

“Wow,” Brent exclaimed, “did you see how fluid those kick attempts by Shin were? How fast they were?”

“Back to back and dangerous…” Dan Rich marveled, “Shin did not even wobble. Fiona had best be cautious.”

Shin took several steps back toward the center of the mat maintaining a half-crouched posture. Despite her early disadvantage the expression on the tag team champions’ face had changed to one of smug confidence. Even though both kick attempts had missed they were in themselves a statement.

Fiona felt like she'd caught Shin off guard by focusing her offense against her arm, but it was a slow snowball to get rolling. The more she went back to it, the more painful it would get, until she could lock in something devastating enough to force a tap. If she didn't mix things up, however, she'd have little impact on Shin's stamina or her focus. Fiona wasn't the most experienced submission artist, but she felt like she had to try something different if she wanted to avoid the same result as the last two times.

The lightning fast roundhouse kicks successfully delivered Shin's message, putting a bit of the fear back in Fiona, who knew just how close she came to losing all momentum in the match. She found herself near the ropes, near the corner, and that was not where she wanted to be against Shin.

It pushed Fiona into a foolishly aggressive move, rushing at Shin and going for a right hook to her head. Her rival caught her arm and pulled her around, swapping their positions and leaving Fiona off balance in the middle of the ring. That was all Shin Choon-hee needed, as she stepped into a high straight kick with impressive speed. Wide-eyed, Fiona saw it coming, but couldn't react before Shin's straight boot collided with her head. She recoiled back, nearly falling, the kick leaving her wobbling and holding her head. She saw stars, and the shape of Shin Choon-hee swimming in front of her.

"It was only a matter of time before one of those landed!" Brent declared, slapping the announcer's table.

"And Fiona is reeling," Dan Rich said. "Here comes Shin Choon-hee!"

Fiona’s rash counter attempt had ended with her taking a staggering shot to the head, giving Shin Choon-hee the opening she needed. Shin launched three sharp right kicks into Fiona’s left patella, forcing the leader of Defiant Dream down into a kneeling position.

“Shin Choon-hee just chopping down Fiona’s base…”

Shin then ran for the east side ropes, hitting them smoothly and charging at full speed toward a still vulnerable Fiona. Her left knee came up and cracked fiercely into the side of Fiona’s head, bowling her over as the crowd cheered.

“And a knee to the skull!” Brent shouted.

“Fiona has lost control of the match just as quickly as she had seized it.” Dan Rich added.

With a huff Shin turned and pressed her right boot into Fiona’s ribs, rolling her over onto her back. Shin then stepped over Fiona and up onto the middle rope with both feet, grabbing the top rope to balance herself.

“And Shin is now up on the middle rope,” Rhonda nodded, “what are we about to see?”

With three quick bounces against the rope Shin dropped, curling her legs under her and driving both knees straight into Fiona’s torso. Shin then rolling back and up to her feet to a chorus of cheers and whistles, topping off her offensive sequence with a mocking curtain call bow over the writhing Fiona.

“A double knee drop to the midsection!”

Fiona had allowed Shin to get in her head for a moment, and by the time she realized it she found herself on the receiving end of a punishing barrage. Kicks took her down to her knees, holding her left leg, and just before she could recover and get herself to move Shin came flying back in for a brutal running knee to the side of her head.

Fiona toppled over onto her side, thrown into a complete daze and falling entirely into Shin's control while she tried and failed to shake it off. She groaned softly when Shin's boot pushed against her ribs and rolled her over onto her back, her dark hair strewn across her face. She reached up to try to soothe her suddenly aching head, rolling only slightly back and forth as Shin stepped right over her towards the corner. Every time, I'm not ready for how much force is behind those kicks and knees... I'm so dizzy already...

She saw Shin's aerial move coming, but again Fiona wasn't quick enough to react, and she took a devastating double knee drop to the body, the impact shaking the ring. Fiona's arms dropped down from her head to cradle over her midsection as Shin rolled back up to her feet, her breathing suddenly choppy and frantic. She could only watch as Shin mockingly bowed to the crowd over her, making it obvious to everyone that while Fiona had done only minor damage when she had control, Shin had answered it with real damage.

"After a shaky start, it seems like Shin is settling in now," Dan Rich remarked. "That was a vicious sequence."

"Fiona has to be quick to find counters if she wants to stay in this," Rhonda pointed out. "We've seen her recover from a lot of punishment when she can get some offense of her own in, but Shin's like a freight train once she gets going, and tougher wrestlers than Fiona have folded fast against that."

"What's she got in mind next?" asked Brent, as Shin hauled Fiona up to her feet by fistfuls of her hair. She whined in protest, as did the referee, but Shin ignored both and sent Fiona running into the opposite corner. Fiona turned as her back slammed into the turnbuckles, nearly sending her back to the mat, but she caught the ropes and kept herself upright. Here she comes!

Shin came flying in at high speed at an angle, looking for a huge running straight boot right to Fiona's face, probably with enough force to knock her out. Fiona was just quick enough to pull herself out of the way with the ropes, leaving Shin in an awkward spot with one foot over the top rope. Sweeping around behind her, Fiona hooked one arm up beneath Shin's legs and pulled her down onto her back for a rollup pin attempt.

Unsurprisingly, Shin kicked out hard before the referee could even slide down for the count, but Fiona stayed on her feet. Shin came at her angry after the pin attempt, going for another tackle, and again Fiona was ready, dodging to the right and seizing Shin's left arm once more. Instead of going straight into wearing it down, she pulled Shin into her and threw a knee up into her rival's gut. Not letting go of the arm, Fiona jumped and launched a second knee strike, this time into the outstretched and vulnerable left arm she'd already started work on. That was bound to get it aching.

As Shin spun around from the force of the knee strike to her arm, Fiona backed up a step into the corner, pulling herself quickly up to the middle rope. Just as Shin turned back around to face her Fiona was flying into the air, going for a heavy dropkick to her chest. The impact with the mat wasn't going to be pleasant, but Shin was in for a lot worse if it worked.