[i]Wow,[/i] Fiona texted Kendra again, [i]this sounds like it'll be brutal.[/i]

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.