Rachel Carin vs Amy Poford- Unstoppable

Match type: Standard
Winning Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, Knockout

After months on the bench, Amy was finally getting her Friction debut. She felt… well, annoyed. Annoyed would be the best way to describe it.

It took the AFW two months to grant Amy her first official match, and that only came about because some pretentious hot head had called her out in front of a live audience. Her second match up was similarly arranged; the match card was decided between the contenders and presented to the promoters in a nice, neat little package. The organizers didn’t even have to lift a finger.

Now, three months in, whoever was in charge of matching her up with Friction opponents was finally deciding to get around to it. Just when she was considering a move closer to Tension, where all the action was happening for her, apparently.

So she was annoyed. But yes, admittedly she was excited too. All she had on her opponent was a first name and a AFW record, but it was enough to get her pumped. Sure, Rachel had lost both match ups, but both fights had been no disqualification humiliation hardcore type matches. Amy didn’t know what to think of the ‘humiliation’ portion of that adjective heavy equation, but the rest of it pointed to a very tough fighter, somebody that she didn’t have to hold back against. And, after the week she’d just had, not holding back sounded like exactly what she needed.

Amy lounged on a couch in the dressing room. The Friction rooms were so much better furnished than in Tension. She wore her usual get up- a white tee over a blue sports bra and black bike shorts on bottom. She played with her ponytail, tilting her head this way and that to swish it back and forth absentmindedly, while she waited to be called to the staging area.

Before her match started, Rachel simply waited backstage, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. She had her usual sweatshirt, jeans and collar, though she made a point of remembering underwear after her last two matches. She rubbed her belly where the bruising had nearly gone, a look of both worry and determination in her eyes. She had only just gotten out of the hospital from her last match and her manager had scheduled another, and while the idea partially terrified her, she still needed the cash. At least this time it was just a regular wrestling match; while she wasn't sure what the rules were exactly she knew at least she wouldn't be beaten with a baseball bat or a chair. Still, she bit her lip, knowing she'd need to toughen up this time, when she heard the sound of her opponent's theme playing in the stadium behind her.

That theme was "Burn" by Deep Purple. It was released in 1974, and was notable for being the first song sung for the band by new lead singer David Coverdale and new backup vocalist Glenn Hughes. The track earned the band success and praise partly because of its seamless marriage of rock and classical elements, and would go on to be the band's concert opener for two whole years.

Of course, Amy knew exactly none of this. She liked the song because she thought that the woman in "Burn" was the sexiest woman in all of music.

"How about the girl in "La Vida Loca?"" Nathan had once asked.

"Nuh uh. She sounds like a pain in the ass, and dancing in the rain is super overrated."

""Superfreak?""

"Psh, please. I wouldn't take ME home to mother. What else you got?"

"...I got it. "Dangerous," by Michael Jackson."

"...damn, yeah, she's pretty hot. too."

But she wasn't about to walk out to Michael, god rest his soul. So "Burn" it was.

Amy, having finished greeting the crowd, stood in a corner of the ring to stretch and wait for her opponent. She was ready.

After Amy's music ended, Rachel's own new theme, "Bartholomew" by The Silent Comedy, opened on it's first words, and she stood up to enter the stadium. As the first guitar riff played, she entered on the metal ramp, greeted by a surprisingly enthusiastic crowd. Despite her crushing losses, she already seemed to be gaining some fans, though she couldn't help but be nervous at the idea that all these people were enthusiastically coming to watch her get the stuffing beaten out of her.

As she got to the ring, Rachel could feel a sense of tension building up inside her, mentally prepared to be facing yet another vicious, sadistic bitch. Because of this, she was prepared to typecast her opponent at the first glimpse, and she didn't like what she saw. The athletic, perky blonde on the other end of the ring reminded her of all the "popular" girls that tormented her as she grew up, and just the thought of it was making her blood boil. She didn't have time to practice since her last match, but she was at least mentally ready for a real fight today.

Amy's ears had perked up when her opponent's theme started playing. She knew this song. "Duh duh duh, duh duh duh..." Amy wasn't much of a singer, and she didn't know any of the lyrics, but the song was definitely familiar to her.

Amy watched as her opponent made her way down the ramp. Rachel was punk, and she was dressed more casually than she'd ever seen anyone dress for a match. Amy didn't know how prudent Rachel's clothing choices were for a fight, but Amy couldn't help but feel a little jealous. It would be nice to be able to go straight from the ring right out the door. Then she figured out where she knew the song from.

If Amy noticed Rachel's animosity when she got in the ring, she made no indication of it. "Hey, I’m Amy. Kickass hair. You know," Amy indicated upwards at the fading music coming from the speakers. "I saw them live once. They were in LA opening for some local band that ended up not being as good. But yeah, The Silent Comedy, pretty sweet, I’d forgotten about them until just now. They make me nostalgic for a time I never personally lived through, I don’t know if you get that." she smiled warmly and held out a hand for a handshake. "It's my first day. Let's have a good one, yeah?"

Rachel's natural empathy started to take hold as her opponent complimented her, but she could still feel the sores from her last match as though they were fresh and it left her feeling conflicted. As Amy extended her hand, she eyed it cautiously as she hesitantly met in the middle, expecting to be pulled into some cheap shot or the like. Still, she decided to return the handshake, her guard lowering slightly as she looked Amy in the eyes, but she still didn't reply beyond, "Yeah, sure."

Amy’s smile dimmed a couple of lumens as they shook hands, and she retreated back to her corner to wait for the bell.

Amy had been immediately concerned. Everything about Rachel- the suspicious glance at Amy’s hand, the way she seemed to shrink back from approaching, and the initial reluctance to make eye contact- screamed abuse. In fact, wasn’t Rachel acting a little too sore than was normal for the beginning of a match? Rachel giving off the vibes of a beaten dog.

That was before Amy realized that they were both professional wrestlers now, and things started to make a different kind of sense in that context. Amy remembered that Rachel had lost her previous match, which wasn’t all that long ago, and if it had been hardcore, well, didn’t that mean like, chairs and ladders and weapons and shit? Fuck, I’d be sore, too.

Or maybe Rachel was subdued because this was Friction, and the fights here weren’t automatically going to be tinged with sexual tension like in Tension. Amy felt like there had been a ton of banter and showboating in all of her matches thus far, like some sort of strange courtship ritual- well, except for with Daisuke. He was just full of hot air. Rachel didn’t swing that way, so she didn’t need to say anything beyond her quiet two words. Or if she did, she wasn’t interested, which was just fine with Amy. She was here to fight, and could appreciate that that particular distraction had been removed.

She shook her head. She’d have to make some serious paradigm shifts here.

The bell rang. Amy, as per usual, immediately went on the attack, shooting forward and launching two punches at Rachel's cheeks.

Rachel was used to her opponents getting the drop on her by now, and when Amy launched her attack, she saw it coming. Of course, she didn't really know how to defend against it, but she was at least mentally prepared, and as the first punch was made towards her face she threw one of her own, intending it to land at roughly the same time and at least give her even ground to fight on.

Amy's punch crashed heavily into Rachel's face, but Rachel had reacted with a retaliatory punch of her own, a hook that could have been the twin of Amy's that landed directly across Amy's jaw. Her earlier concerns all but melted away with Rachel's counterpunch- Rachel hadn't tried to dodge; no, she took it full on in the face so that she could throw that counter. Rachel was hardcore, she was no nonsense, and she and Amy were about to have a good fight. Amy's face twitched- she felt a smile coming on.

Amy aborted her second punch; instead, she danced backwards, curious- no, eager- to see which of the two of them got the better of that exchange.

Amy's punch had left Rachel staggered, but she was determined to take what she had and use it as best she could, staggering toward Amy rather than away from her with a sloppy, but forceful, headbutt.