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💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

”And here she is,” Brent said as Elina Zamora’s music began, “La Rosa de Sonora!”

“Brent…” Rhonda started.

“What?”

“Terrible accent.”

Elina Zamora stepped onstage adorned in her usual outfit; a sleek purple full-body suit paired with dazzling white sequin-covered boots that glittered beneath the arena lights. A flowing white robe rested over her shoulders, trailing behind her as the crowd cheered at her arrival. Elina paused at the top of the entrance ramp and slowly spread her arms, soaking in the adorations before making her next move. With a sharp motion she cast the robe aside which was immediately followed by a single blast of glimmering pyrotechnics erupting around her in a shower of silvery sparks. Thick white smoke came rolling across the stage, briefly concealing the luchadora from sight as the cheers grew even louder. The titantron and bannister screens were filled with shots of razor wire, sandstorms, and rickety muscle cars amid a setting sun. Seconds later, Elina emerged from the white haze with a confident smirk, the sequins on her boots catching flashes of light with every step she took. She confidently made her way down the ramp toward the ring, hips swaying, arms and chin held high, looking completely at home in the spotlight as her arrival was announced from the ring.

“And here she comes,” Dan Rich announced, “former two-time CMLL women’s champion, aspiring champion here in NMW, and the magnificent love interest of the one and only Uberto Cafrune, Elina Zamora!

“After defeating two promising young talents, Ash Weathers and Ada Eberhard, to get this far Elina is riding in with plenty of success and - without a doubt - confidence on her shoulders!”

“Yeah, but she needs to be careful tonight, or else Raven Veyn may put her and her confidence right through the mat down into the floor.” Brent added with a shake of his head.

“I agree with you there, Brent,” Rhonda said, “Elina has the experience and the skillset to win tonight but she can’t be cocky. She or Fiona, to be blunt about this. Raven Veyn isn’t one to strut your stuff in front of.”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

“Boy, one thing about Mister Deguara, he knows how to make a good speech.”

Dan Rich, Rhonda Pierce, and Brent Christi occupied their usual seats at the ringside commentary table, eyes tracking the GM as he wrapped up his opening speech. This week, Dan and Rhonda had opted for simplicity, both clad in solid black suits that gave them a more “generic” presence than usual. Brent, on the other hand, stood out sharply in a bright red blazer over white pants. - A bold contrast to his colleagues’ muted tones.

“And without further delay,” the elder Deguara said with a flourishing wave of his hand, “it’s time to begin! Now, let’s welcome in our competitors for our opening event - the women’s triple threat steel cage match!”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

“Ladies and gentlemen…” Antonio Deguara Sr.’s hoarse voice trailed off as the crowd immediately erupted, the General Manager of No Mercy Wrestling pausing on the main stage beneath the Titantron, smiling wide as he let the energy of the capacity audience wash over him. After about a minute, he raised the microphone back to his mouth, ready to continue as the noise slowly began to settle. Mark Trenton’s business partner and head of the Deguara family was the spitting image of the word “elegant,” dressed in a gray and white pinstripe suit with Stefano Ricci shoes on his feet and a glimmering Rolex on his wrist accenting his look. His gray hair was gelled and slicked back, and a very thin layer of makeup gave his aging face a youthful flush.

“Tonight is the night you have been waiting all week for,” Antonio continued. “Tonight, in a special showing, we are having our first ever No Mercy Wrestling steel cage matches.”

As the crowd stirred again the arena lights dimmed and were replaced by stark white beams that illuminated the massive steel cage suspended ominously above the wrestling ring. The cold metal structure glistened under the lights, each chain link casting jagged shadows that stretched across the canvas like a warning. Antonio looked up at the cage, his expression tightening for just a moment before he turned back toward the audience, feeding off their energy. He raised a hand, silently asking for the moment back, giving the crowd another few seconds to take it all in before bringing the microphone back up, ready to speak once more.

“Tonight… three women and three men will enter this ring. These steel cage matches will decide which two from each division go on to Las Vegas next week for the golden opportunity of claiming the championships.”

The brief lull broke as the audience surged to life for the third time. Cheers and shouts overlapped in a chaotic chorus, the sound rising higher and higher as more fans joined in, unable to contain themselves. What started as scattered noise quickly built into a roar, the kind that sundered the very air.

“It has been a long few weeks,” Antonio did not wait for the crowd to quiet down this time, instead continuing over the noise, “and the six competitors we have here tonight fought hard to get here. The final obstacle in their path before reaching… Caesar’s Palace. And after the final fight at Caesar’s Palace next weekend we - you - will have your first No Mercy men’s and women’s champions in the history of the brand!”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Elena tilted her head slightly, her expression indecipherable as she considered Fiona’s offer. Elena knew that trusting another competitor in a match like this was a dangerous play. She was no stranger to the chaos of triple threats, where alliances often crumbled the moment it became inconvenient to stab your partner in the back. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought about Raven. Elena was not entirely opposed to this idea, else by now she would have turned and walked away. The wheels in her mind were turning, but Elena was not ready to commit.

“So,” Elina smirked, “you and I team up… against Raven. We escape the cage together and then… what?… We go to Vegas together, winking among ourselves, as we prepare to compete for the first ever NMW women’s championship?”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

As Fiona finished, Elina’s sharp expression wavered, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her features as Fiona’s words sank in. The suggestion was bold - unexpected. But there was obvious sincerity in Fiona’s offer that made Elina take pause. The idea of teaming up with someone other than Uberto - however briefly - wasn’t one she would normally entertain, but the logic was undeniable. Raven Veyn was a dangerous opponent, a former champion that had never been dethroned. And she and Elina had history to say the least. One part of Elina wanted to win this fight honorably, like a true luchadora. The other just really wanted the gold, no matter the necessity. Elina and Fiona had no kind of active rivalry with each other. - Though Elina did see Fiona as little more than an upstart. Still, Elina was curious. At the very least, how much Fiona had planned this out.

“You know she will expect that.” An statement but Elina wanted to see Fiona’s reaction.

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Elina slowed to a halt a few steps away, her gaze sharpening as it flitted between Fiona to Kendra. For a moment she said nothing, just studying them both with an unreadable expression. Her eyes lingered on Fiona a second longer, traveling from head to toe in a deliberate, assessing sweep before she spoke.

“Yes,” Elina’s voice had a slightly hesitant tone and a trace of a Sonoran accent, “I appreciate that.”

Sensing the quickly growing awkwardness Kendra immediately said, “Well, I doubt Ash was any competition for you but… Ada is a… you know, a real up and coming prospect.”

“Right,” Elina retorted with obvious dismissiveness to Kendra, turning her head back to Fiona, “well, it has been quite a journey to reach this point. Hasn’t it, Fiona? Just four weeks and yet… it is as if so long has passed. Do you know what I mean?”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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UNITED CENTER
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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Friday night had finally arrived, carrying with it the weight of weeks of competition. The triple threat cage match stood as the final hurdle of the grueling Rubicon Gauntlet. The match outcome would determine the two men and two women who would advance on to the coveted title opportunity in Las Vegas the following week. Raven Veyn, Elina Zamora, and Fiona Chevalier were the last three standing in the women’s division, having carved a path through fierce competition to reach this night. And then in the men’s division there was Jay Wyatt, Mihailo Vasić, and Uberto Cafrune. - The blue chip talent, the giant, and the luchadore. The air around the arena was charged as thousands arrived with expectations crackling like static. Inside the United Center, the steel cage loomed high, suspended above the ring in silent promise of what was to come. Every spotlight, every camera, every whisper among the gathering crowd seemed to point toward it.

Fiona’s preparation had been relentless in the days leading up to tonight. On Tuesday and Wednesday she spent the entire afternoon inside the steel cage with Gwen and then later another jobber named Stephanie. Hours blurred together as training sessions pushed her endurance, precision, and resolve to their limits. Kendra’s presence during the practice matches and drills ensured that Fiona stayed motivated. That final push had not been about intensity alone, but about sharpening instinct and maintaining focus. Every sequence and move execution had been another layer of readiness forged into Fiona’s body and mind. Thursday had been a day of light conditioning and studying clips from both Raven and Elina’s matches. Now it was time to see if the grinding would pay off for Fiona and see her standing before the masses in Las Vegas the following week.

The Unity Center in Chicago was filled to capacity, its vast interior abustle with noise and movement. Nearly twenty-five thousand people were packed the arena, their voices rising and falling in waves that seemed to shake the structure itself. Red and silver lighting swept across the stands and the stage. The ring sat at the center like the eye of a storm, the suspended cage casting a long shadow across the canvas. The show tonight had drawn not just fans but an atmosphere that felt almost tangible, pressing in from all sides.

Outside, in the dim echo of the parking garage, that same energy bled through in a distant roar. Fiona and Kendra moved toward the stage area, footsteps steady against the concrete as the muffled thunder of the crowd filtered through the structure. The sound was constant, a low rumble punctuated by sudden surges that hinted at the spectacle unfolding within. Overhead lights cast long, stark shadows that shifted with every step forward. The closer they moved, the clearer the vibrations became, as though the building itself was alive and pulsing. Somewhere beyond the walls, the cage waited, already lowered or perhaps poised for its descent. The separation between outside and inside felt thin, like a boundary about to dissolve. Everything pointed toward the same destination—the moment when preparation, anticipation, and opportunity would collide under unforgiving steel.

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

“That definitely is the best strategy, I think,” Kendra nodded, “like you just said, if they double team you… it would not go your way.”

Kendra leaned forward in her seat, resting her palms on her knees, “But that’s just it, I don’t really see those two joining hands for even a minute. I actually looked back into their time at Crash Syndicate together and let me tell you… there is no love to be lost between the Queen of the Goths and the Desert Diva.

“My suggestion is to just… skirt the edges. Lurk. Let those two just tear into each other and wait for only the most opportune moments to take your shots at either of them. They’re the lionesses and you’re…”

Kendra thought for and then grinned at Fiona, “A hyena. Be a hyena this Friday!”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Kendra dragged a chair over and sat beside Fiona, crossing her legs as she settled in. For a few seconds Fiona’s partner remained silent, her lips slightly pursed as she considered what to say next.

“Look,” Kendra began, “you’ve never been in a steel cage match before. But this is just the first day of training - the first few hours, actually. And I’m not just trying to reassure you when I say I can already see improvement.”

Kendra knew her words might not sound particularly comforting, but she hoped Fiona could hear the practicality in them. Behind the casual cadence of her speech Kendra’s message was clear: she believed in Fiona’s potential. And while it was easy for Kendra to say all this while Fiona was the one being thrown around inside the cage, she knew it was true.

“Hey, try to remember something,” Kendra said, nudging Fiona in the arm. “You’ve faced some pretty heavy odds before. Don’t throw in the towel yet. I mean… have you forgotten Molly Mims? Raven Veyn may be tough, but she’s not Molly Mims.”

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

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NO MERCY WRESTLING CORPORATE OFFICE,
NEW YORK CITY

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Kendra winced as Fiona sailed over the top rope, her body twisting midair before colliding with the steel mesh of the practice cage. The impact rang out with a sharp, hollow clang that echoed through the training room. Fiona’s momentum carried her downward, her limbs tangling awkwardly as she slid along the unforgiving metal until she ended up wedged between the ropes and the cage wall.

“Come on, Fiona,” barked Scott, one of the coaching staff, his tone sharp, “don’t let yourself get jammed up like that!”

Rick, the other of the two trainers, stepped up to the side of the ring and reached for the cage door, the hinges squeaking as he pulled it open. They had been at this for most of the morning and it was time for a breather. Gwen - the very brawny jobber who had just swung Fiona into the side of the cage - exhaled sharply and leaned over the ropes, extending a hand to Fiona. Her expression softened into an awkward smile, a smile that silently asked, “No hard feelings?”

As the door creaked wider, Kendra pushed off from the opposite side of the ring where she had been observing, arms folded. It was Tuesday, four days since Extreme Rules, and the atmosphere inside the NMW training facility carried a very familiar intensity. The kind where there was no time to bask in a previous victory, only to prepare for what was coming next. After taking the remainder of the weekend to recover from her match with Tanya, Fiona had hit the ground running. Kendra had booked an early Monday flight into New York City and got a hotel that afternoon. Monday had been about shaking off the “lazy” Sunday for Fiona. An hour of cardio followed by light weight lifting to get her back into the training flow.

Today, the intensity had shifted quite heavily as Fiona began actual practicing for the cage match. Three hours had already passed and while her improvement was noticeable there was still plenty of work to be done to prepare Fiona for Friday. Scott and Rick, two of the top coaches at NMW, had been pushing Fiona from the moment she stepped into the enclosure. And Fiona’s training partner for this week, Gwen, was pulling no punches. - Literally.

“You cannot let yourself get cornered like that,” Scott continued, pacing slowly along the outside of the cage. His eyes were locked on Fiona, analytical and unrelenting. “Raven Veyn uses cornering in cage matches for that very reason. So she can strike or grab her opponent and they have nowhere to go!”

That name alone seemed to hang in the air for a moment, adding weight to the lesson. Rick glanced over at the clock mounted high on the nearby wall. “Five after,” he muttered, before raising his voice slightly. “Let’s take an hour for a lunch break.” Scott nodded.

The two trainers turned and made their way toward the training room door, their conversation immediately shifting to adjustments for the next session as they seemingly forgot all about the three women in the room. Behind them, Gwen slipped between the ropes with practiced ease before ducking through the cage exit. She landed lightly on the outside floor, rolling her shoulders, the intensity finally easing from her posture. As the door into the training area slammed shut moments later, Fiona was left alone with Kendra.