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💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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

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

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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

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

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

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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

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

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

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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

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

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

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

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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

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

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

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

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Fiona's music kicked in as she made her entrance first, mic in hand. The fans were happy to see her make an appearance, even in street clothes and not wrestling a match, lining up for high fives on her way down the ramp towards the ring. It was uncomfortably warm under the lights, with a heat that even a muggy New York City in July couldn't match, but Fiona was thankful at least that she didn't have to wrestle in it. Kendra's going to need some endurance tonight.

She got into the ring after jogging up the steps, lifting the microphone to her lips the second she was through the ropes. "Look at all those beautiful faces!" she said, smiling and sweeping a pointing finger across the audience. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than No Mercy Wrestling!"

The crowd cheered to that. "Now if you don't know who I am... what were you even watching last week? Where have you been? The No Mercy women's division saw not one, not two, but three," she held up three fingers, "absolute battles for the brand's debut, proving that NMW is the place to be for women's wrestling." The crowd cheered again, just before Fiona was about to continue, but she stopped herself to encourage them. It was true; there were basically no major brands out there giving fully equal air and match time to their women's roster.

"We, the women of NMW, are here for you, the fans," she continued, "but we're also here for those beautiful belts. We all want to be the first ever NMW Women's Champion. Now, some of you think I'm not in that conversation. Some of you are doubters." She turned towards the commentary table. "Some of you are like Brent. Why yes, I did watch my match back." She winked at him, clearly not taking it personally that he thought Ada had their match in hand.

"And that's okay. I don't expect to win the entire NMW universe to my side with one victory. What I'm here to do today is state my intentions. I will beat the odds again and again, prove the doubters wrong again and again, and overcome every setback until one day? That title will be mine."

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

"Ringside, alright," Fiona acknowledged, shrugging a little towards her teammate. "Looks like I'll have your back out there." None of this was all that ideal for Kendra, all three of them definitely knew that, but they needed to take what they could get to at least get Kendra started and let her show the likes of Mr. McKinney here what she could do. With Fiona doing an introduction and also staying ringside, this match was going to be almost as much about her as it was Kendra, and she didn't doubt at least one or two cameras were going to be on her the entire time. At least I picked something easy enough to move around in if I need to.

The loud ringing of the bell in the distance signaled the end of the third match, meaning they were now minutes away from heading out there, right after the commercial break. Fiona didn't plan to go too far off the script she was given, but it was good to know she had a little wiggle room if there was anything she didn't feel quite right about.

"That's our cue," she smiled, getting herself and Kendra started towards the backstage exit. "Thanks again for the opportunity, Mr. McKinney, we'll keep the heat up out there!"

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

---

BACKSTAGE

It proved to be a wild week for Fiona after her debut win, matching pretty much anything she'd done in the previous year. NMW was off to a strong start with an enthused fanbase, and while Fiona's upset win over Ada Eberhard wasn't the biggest talking point of the show online, it was putting a lot of eyes on her, thanks in part to Gordon McKinney's efforts in the following days. There were interviews to do, photoshoots to pose for, advertisements to film, and more. There was no one "face of the brand" for NMW yet, for either the men's or women's rosters, but having even a small slice of that attention was a great way for Fiona to begin.

Before she knew it she was crossing the country for NMW's second show, this time on the west coast, and while she wasn't set to wrestle anyone tonight, she was still a little uneasy. Her job, as Gordon had assigned it, was to hype up herself, her team, and introduce Kendra before her first match, and for days Fiona had been dreading it, knowing she'd be given a script for this kind of promo work. She was pleasantly surprised, then, when Gordon emailed it to her and it was... not half bad. A little stronger than she would've liked in places, maybe, but there was no being timid in this business. She'd just have to fake the confidence until she really started to feel it.

She and Kendra waited backstage as the third match of the night progressed, the bangs of slams to the mat and the cheering of the crowd echoing down the hall. Fiona wore a tastefully torn-up black cropped shirt over a bra, along with skinny jeans and a studded belt. Sneakers, several cord necklaces, and a half-dozen bracelets on either wrist completed her look. Kendra of course was already in her gear for her fight, and would no doubt be feeling the pressure to perform. If she wanted a regular place on NMW's match cards, tonight was the night to earn it.

Fiona waved to Gordon as she saw him approaching, not surprised at all that he wanted to stop by before the match again. At this point she figured he was doing this for at least one of the wrestlers involved in every match of every night.

"We're all set, Mr. McKinney," she greeted him with a smile, more genuine this time, before nodding her head towards the exit towards the sounds of the match. "The show sounds like it's going great again so far."

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

"Good night!" Fiona called to Gordon as he hightailed it off down the hall. The whole conversation felt like a whirlwind, over and done with as soon as it began, and yet so much had been decided so quickly. It seemed it was all good news, but Fiona couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"That guy's gonna take some getting used to," she commented quietly to Kendra, before giving her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if I pushed you into that, it didn't seem like a good idea to argue when he offered you a match next week." NMW had hired a decent size roster for their women's division, after all, and plenty of them would still be waiting to get their first shot in the ring.

Gordon's aim, like he'd said, was to give a great show to the fans, it wasn't to look after the interests of Fiona and Kendra specifically, she wasn't naive enough to take his word for that. His job was to put them on a collision course with rivals, and as long as the fight entertained, Fiona doubted it mattered to Gordon who came out on top. He probably had plans all drawn up that he needed to scrap tonight after Fiona got the win instead of Ada.

Really, though, this was something to worry about tomorrow. This was a good night, and an important win, for Fiona, and she meant to celebrate it. The hotel bed sounded nice, but it could wait a little bit longer.

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Fiona really wasn't sure how to feel. She was definitely a little uncomfortable now, at least, as Gordon pulled both her and Kendra into him. He seemed lost in his own enthusiasm for his ideas, seeing the future, or at least his own excited vision of it. Fiona could think of a lot of ways it might not turn out quite like that.

He was asking her to make a pretty massive statement on the mic in front of all of the fans. Up to this point in her career, Fiona had preferred to let her wrestling do the in-ring talking for her, not wanting to project some massive ego she didn't have. She wasn't completely inexperienced with a microphone in her hands, but it was going to be one of NMW's many new adventures, as the show took a more theatrical approach than its predecessor.

It wasn't really what she wanted for Kendra, either. Kendra had been told to stay behind while Fiona made her debut alone, but now Kendra didn't get to be a solo act when it was her turn. It seemed like in everyone's eyes she was still just "Fiona's teammate" and "the other half of Defiant Dream" rather than someone to be valued on her own. That, and it put a lot of pressure on her to actually win her match convincingly.

Still, Fiona got the feeling Kendra wasn't going to be given a whole lot of options on where and when she'd be able to get in the ring. "I can do that for you if you want," she said to Kendra, not trying to hide her uncertainty. She phrased it like an offer, but much like what Gordon suggested, she didn't think there was really a choice being given here.