[center][h2]THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY…[/h2][/center]

Fiona and Kendra sat side by side on the couch in Fiona’s apartment, neither saying anything as the highlights of the Las Vegas Show at Caesar’s Palace rolled across the television screen. The event had ended not even a half hour ago, the roaring crowd and flashing arena lights seemingly on a whole other world far from the quiet stillness of the apartment. The two women watched in silence, their attention fixed on every replay and camera angle. They already knew how the night had ended but seeing it unfold again made the outcome feel even more real somehow. The excitement of the crowd contrasted sharply with the somber mood hanging over the room.

The current footage focused on the opening event of the evening, the championship clash between Raven Veyn and Elina Zamora. It had been a grueling battle from beginning to end, with neither competitor willing to give an inch. Elina had fought with determination and resilience, refusing to stay down despite the punishment she absorbed throughout the match. The luchadora pulled every trick old and new from her bag to try and seize victory, but Raven's infamous aggression and veteran mindset swung the momentum in her favor. The replay showed the pivotal moment when Raven trapped Elina in a hammerlock before stunning her with a DDT. Even through the television screen, Fiona and Kendra could see the exact instant the match slipped irreversibly from Elina’s grasp.

The highlights then moved to the final sequence, the moment everyone would be talking about for weeks to come. Raven stood over her exhausted opponent, her expression cold and unwavering as the crowd rose to its feet in anticipation. With ruthless precision Raven hauled Elina up, dragged her to a nearby corner, and performed an avalanche Taken To Hell finisher off the turnbuckle - practically driving Elina through the canvas. The audience erupted as Raven hooked her opponent’s right leg and the referee counted the pinfall. One. Two. Three. The bell rang and with it came the realization that the tournament was over. Raven Veyn’s promise of dominating under the new brand had been fulfilled in the most emphatic way possible.

As the celebration replayed on the screen, Fiona and Kendra watched quietly while Raven marched around the ring with the NMW Women’s Championship raised high above her head. The grinning silver skull on the front of the belt reflected the dark lights above as she basked in the deafening reaction from the crowd. After completing a full circle around the ring, Raven climbed onto the southeast turnbuckle and lifted the championship even higher with both hands, presenting it to every corner of the arena as her theme blared and purple and black lighting enveloped everything. It was a powerful image, one that perfectly captured the story of her rise. She had pummeled her way through every obstacle placed before her, survived the chaos and brutality of the Rubicon Gauntlet, and emerged victorious at the end of it all. Now she stood alone at the top as the first-ever Women's Champion of the No Mercy Wrestling brand, exactly as she had vowed she would from the very beginning.