La Mariposa vs. Valley Doll - Pushing the Sky

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or Knockout




The audience went wild as a thundrous opening blaired out over the loudspeakers, a powerful guitar riff that seemed to shake the entire stadium. It got their feet jumping and blood pumping, rocking to Van Halen's ear-shatttering sound. The music was like raw adrenaline injected right into the veins. If there was a better way to prep for a match, Valley Doll couldn't imagine it.

She came bursting out through the curtains a moment later, with her hands raised to the sky and her legs taking long, powerful strides forward. She stopped halfway down the ramp when the lyrics kicked in and immediately went into her dance routine. Swaying. Swinging. Sliding, left and  right. It had been over a decade since her cheerleading days, but she could still get a good dance routine going, and the crowd always approved. Her long, blonde hair flipped about as her body moved to every strike of the drum and every note of the guitar, keeping up with the music she'd danced to over a thousand times before. Every time she did it, it always felt like the first time.

She did a good job of hiding the pain, but there were a few nagging aches as she went through it. It had been over a week since the tumultuous match with Natasha Han and the surprise attack from Amethyst Velour, both of which had her hurting in the mind and soul as well as the body. Natasha seemed like she'd be a determined rival, someone who was hellbent on evening the score after Valley won their match, and Amethyst was, well...Amethyst. A complete loon that Valley wanted out of her life, and really wanted out of her best friend's life. Haley had gone through enough crap without having that sort of trouble heaped on her.

So, she had all that to deal with, and many wrestlers would've taken it all as a reason to hold off on matches. A perfectly legit reason. But Valley always saw wrestling as something that could ease her troubled mind. When it wasn't full of drama, it was always fun. And, if what she'd heard about La Mariposa's tryout was true, this would be especially fun.

She rolled into the ring, made her way to the corner, hopped up on the middle rope and threw the devil horns out to the audience, earning a wave of camera flashes in return. Valley was sure they would be doing that a lot in this match - for once, she was taking on another high-flyer. Valley had fought a wide range of opponents since coming to the AFW, but she'd yet to come up against someone who specialized in her own style. High-risk manuevers. Flips. Kicks. Acrobatic feats. Those crazy lucha libre moves that drew her in when she first started wrestling with the Slamazons. Most of the girls preferred safer moves, which Valley wouldn't knock. But she found herself craving something a little wilder. More daring.

That was why she had on a wild smile while she did leg strethes in the middle of the ring, limbering up as her music died down. For her, it wasn't enough to just win a match, she had to look good and wow the crowd while she did it. If her opponent felt the same way, this could be something special.

Lisa watched from the back, a pleasant smile on her face, as the woman with whom she would soon wrestle made her way to the ring, the crowd roaring in response and sounding like music to the luchadora's ears. It was freeing to know that she could perform for these people without worry and without restraint. No scrutinizing eyes, no moral or ethical decisions to weigh. She need not look over her shoulder or wonder what would come of her next step. Lisa need only concern herself with herself, her opponent, and the joy of entertainment. It was high time that the scientist Lisa Hamilton took a seat, and La Mariposa stepped into the limelight. As she brought her mask to her face and secured it in place, she could not have felt a greater sense of relief where many women would have deal with their nerves. Her chance to return to the ring could not come sooner.

Eventually, her opponent's music quieted, and Lisa, wasting no time, hopped up to the darkened stage and turned her back to the crowd, posing with a hand raised to the ceiling and a hand on her hip. Her heart went aflutter in anticipation, and La Mariposa licked her lips lightly, tiding herself over until the stage erupted in pyrotechnics around her. The arena's lights shifted to illuminate the ebony-skinned luchadora, decked out in red ring attire. She took in a quick moment to suck in a breath and squeeze her eyes shut, reveling in the crowd's reaction, before she brought the other hand down to her hips. The way she suggestively swung those hips in response to her peppy theme, as she whirled around to face the crowd, would have made any salsa dancer proud.

After taking the time to wink and pose for the crowd, drawing her hands from her hips, up her body, and to the back of her head, she reveled in the response only a moment before she took off in a run towards the stage. One momentary twinge of nerves hit her as she prepped for the front handspring that she had always performed as a part of her entrance, but without hesitation, she propelled herself forward, landing neatly on her hands and pushing off to flip over and land on her feet again, right in front of the ring. She let loose a happy breath, already feeling as if she was completely within her essence again. She was the stunning and electrifying La Mariposa, once again. Any less would not do.

As she hopped up onto the ring and stepped through the ropes, her mind was clear and without distraction. Fully in tune with the crowd, she jogged over to the turnbuckle and hopped up onto the second rope, spreading her arms wide in a faint representation of her Spanish-laden namesake, the butterfly. After a moment, she popped back down to the mat, all energy as she bounced in place and swung her arms to stay warmed up before the bell rang.

The luchadora had studied her similarly-energetic opponent, Valley Doll, as the blonde had performed her introduction. Now, La Mariposa eyed her unassumingly as she bounced, providing the other woman with a broad, sly smile underneath her mask. "Ready to put on a show, doll?", she asked, bridging the time until the bell rang and the two engaged in what La Mariposa to be a thrilling aerial display of wrestling, as free as she felt to be in the ring again.

Valley was impressed, happy, and if she were being totally honest, a little jealous.

Impressed, because it was a very, very good looking show.The lights, the flare, energy… it was all electrifying.  Whatever happened during this match, Valley would say this much for La Mariposa – she knew how to make an entrance. The entire crowd was on their feet, fully into the light show, cheering for her before they even caught a glimpse. And when she came out, dressed in those bright, vivid colors, those cheers only intensified.

Happy, because she was glad that she wasn't the only one in the company who knew the importance of a proper entrance. So many girls in the AFW just walked down to the ring, slapped a few hands and gave the crowd a thumbs up.  Many of them had great in-ring performances, but Valley was a firm believer in the magic of wrestling, from start to finish. She was a wrestler, but also an entertainer, and La Mariposa seemed to share that philosophy.

Jealous, because, well, she wished her own entrance looked that good. She'd have to talk to management about pyrotechnics. Back with the Slamazons, they only busted those out for the PPVs.

Valley backed off and let Mariposa have the ring, leaning against the ropes and watching her move. Quick on her feet. Light. Slim frame. About the same size as her, so they were close enough on the physical statistics. She saw some potential, here, and her heart was already pounding. Time to fly.

She moved off the ropes and started to circle La Mariposa, bouncing around and never losing sight of her, not even for half a second. "Oh, I was born ready, butterfly." She clapped her hands right as the bell rang. "Let's dance!"

Valley moved in as soon as the words left her mouth, bringing her hands up and challenging the dark-skinned daredevil to a collar-and-elbow lockup. Best to get a perfect idea of how they measured up before she started getting crazy.

As the ref stepped into position, La Mariposa completed the last of her routine, squatting low to the mat twice before bouncing back up again and stretching her neck. Her opponent, in preparation for the match's opening bell, had already begun to circle the ebony luchadora, so La Mariposa matched her footwork, bouncing into a fighting stance with her body angled to her opponent. She smiled again as the woman responded to her words, hoping that they did put on quite the dance. The butterfly would do her part to thrill, because there was absolutely no doubt that she had found her own thrills again. Even the feel of the canvas rattling beneath her feet as she circled the ring opposite Valley Doll provided her a sense of nostalgia that did not threaten to wane.

The bell rang, and La Mariposa bounded in place as Valley Doll ceased her circumnavigation of the ring and stepping towards her with her arms raised. More than happy to oblige whatever close-quarters encounter the blonde wished to instigate, La Mariposa carefully closed the distance and raised her own arms, providing the young woman with a nod of understanding and agreement before she drew an arm across to clasp a hand at her opponent's trapezius and brought her other arm up to defend against the woman's own probing arm. Once they were clasped together, La Mariposa set her feet for good leverage. Then, she began pushing for her opening to get both of her arms down between her opponent's, hoping to set Valley Doll up for an opening strike.

Having been in the industry for over a decade and being raised in it her whole life, Valley had a solid knowledge of the wrestling world. Even so, she has never heard of La Mariposa. Had no clue where she wrestled. But she could tell by the way the butterfly fluttered that this was no fresh rookie. There was confidence in those eyes, and the only real question was whether or not that confidence was deserved. Valley only knew one way to find that out.

The two clashed and struggled in the lockup, with Valley losing a couple of steps at the start. She put her foot down and stopped the forced retreat, getting her strong legs into the action when she pushed. That made Mariposa slide back, and Valley recovered the lost ground...but no more. Dead standstill. Maybe she could have forced La Mariposa back further, maybe not. She wouldn't have time to find out, as she felt her fleet-footed foe trying to slip free. Going for a move.

Valley tried to beat her to the punch - instead of pushing, she suddenly switched to pulling. She grabbed hold of La Mariposa's wrist, fell back and tried to send her rolling with an arm drag.

It became clear very quickly that neither high-flyer had an overt advantage as they locked together, and nothing was to be gained by standing immobile in the center of the ring, engaged in a pushing and shoving match. That was not La Mariposa's style, nor the style of her opponent, from what the luchadora understood. Eager to instantly coax the match to the point where both wrestlers would find more use of their legs than their arms, La Mariposa drew her arms in towards her chest and struck out with the side of one hand towards Valley Doll's chest in an effort to stagger her.

Valley Doll, to her credit in La Mariposa's regard, displayed impressive quickness as she latched onto the luchadora's wrist and sent La Mariposa rolling forward towards the mat with a gasp. To avoid any arm injury, the luchadora dove into the roll willingly and shifted her body to avoid rough contact with the mat, her momentum carrying her in a somersault over Valley Doll and back onto her knees on the opposite side of the blonde combatant, surprised by her opponent's celerity more than injured by it, though her arm was not spared a twinge of pain from having craned at an angle as she rolled through the maneuver.

She would not leave her back to Valley Doll, as she swung around and popped to her feet long enough to gauge her opponent's location relative to her own. Once she had a bead on the blonde, she took off towards her to return the favor. As she neared Valley Doll, she left her feet, extending her leg to the level of the blonde's neck to hook it and drag her down to the mat with a leg lariat.

Valley didn't expect La Mariposa to stay down for long - it was just an arm drag, after all, and that shouldn't have kept her on the mat for any real length of time even if she was a rookie. But La Mariposa recovered with a grace and speed that Valley rarely saw even from seasoned vets, getting back to her feet almost before Valley managed to it. It was stunning agility. That was why her smile was still going strong when she rushed after her. She had a feeling she'd be watching this match over a few times.

Valley's plan was to hit her with a cross-body block, drop her to the mat with something that might keep her down there for a little longer, maybe even set her up for standing Moonsault. But, while she'd expected La Mariposa to be fast, she'd underestimated just how fast - she'd closed the distance before the blonde bombshell could even get her padded feet off the ground, and the next thing Valley knew, she was treated to an up close look at La Mariposa's firm and fit leg, right before it collided with her face.

The leg lariat brought her to the floor, but Valley wasn't going to stay down there for too long, knowing full well that a speed demon like this could take her apart if she lost the momentum. The flow was key. Valley rolled away, got up to one knee, and swung around with her other leg extended in a wide arc, trying to hit La Mariposa with a swift legsweep before she could capitalize.

As La Mariposa had hoped, the peak of her jump saw her upper leg meeting with Valley Doll's face just as the blonde wrestler got to her feet, and La Mariposa, with ease if not a great deal of grace due to the unattractive maneuver, carried her opponent down to the canvas before her butt rocked against the mat. The luchadora wasted no time in using the bounce from the landing to swing back up to her feet with a capoeira-style flip of her legs. With no delusion that Valley Doll would waste away with her back on the canvas from a simple leg lariat, La Mariposa took a short bound away to turn and face the blonde again, the free-flowing feel of their match energizing her further.

And speaking of free-flowing... La Mariposa's opponent had already found her feet again, and the luchadora caught sight of the incoming low sweep of Valley Doll's leg only just in time to hop over it. Unwilling to let Valley Doll take more than one swipe at her, La Mariposa made sure to match the pace, taking the offensive again. Planting her feet on the canvas as she landed, she took a step forward, planted on one foot, and spun, bringing her other leg around towards Valley Doll's head in a roundhouse kick.

There was nothing wrong with the form in Valley's legsweep. Not a move she used often, but there were plenty of kicks she hadn't busted out in a good, long while that she could execute just fine. It was crisp, clean, and she was sure that about 90% of the wrestlers in the AFW would have fallen for it, at least on the first time.

But La Mariposa was definitely in the other 10%. She spotted it and jumped over - with only inches to spare, sure, but she did it. Good move. Damned good. Valley would've liked to take a moment just to be impressed, but she was far too concerned about the kick heading towards her face.

Valley had just spun around and started to rise from the sweep, when she caught sight of Mariposa readying for the next attack. A roundhouse kick. She had thrown enough of those in her life that she could tell when someone else was about to do one almost instantly, and that was pretty much the main thing that saved her from taking this one right upside the head. She started to move it before it came near her head, ducking under and letting the foot whiff off the trail of golden hairs she left in her wake.

Valley stood up behind La Mariposa and dashed forward, her lithe legs storming along the mat as she made her way to the ropes. She spun around, bounced off to gain some added momentum, then came back at her faster than ever. Valley put all that speed to good use, as she jumped up and tried to nail the luminous luchadora with a drop kick!

La Mariposa's leg came down where Valley Doll's head would have been, had the lightning-quick wrestler not evaded the kick before the luchadora could connect. The sole of her foot slapped the mat to no effect, and La Mariposa, in her peripheral vision, could already see her opponent taking off behind her. Making no rookie mistakes thanks to her experience, she did not turn to gaze on Valley Doll, instead rushing forward, away from the blonde, as she took a handful of quick steps towards the side of the ring. Once there, lights from the crowd sparkling in her eyes, she turned and launched her side into the ropes, using their elasticity to rebound back towards the center of the ring. Once her body was righted, she saw Valley Doll headed towards her, her plan having been exactly the same. The luchadora would have smirked, had she the time.

Instead, she dedicated thought and precious seconds to considering how she would best be suited to clash with the blonde, settling quickly on a dropkick that would be effective both offensively and defensively. She took a gathering lunge before leaving her feet, and in that gathering lunge, her own motion was reflected back to her, as Valley Doll took the same step and made the same leg-first leap towards La Mariposa. A brief look of concern crossed the luchadora's masked features, but she brought her legs up the same as Valley Doll, the two colliding awkwardly in mid-air with clattering, tangled feet and legs as they both went down to the mat unceremoniously.

For her part, La Mariposa landed on the same arm that Valley Doll had dragged earlier, her elbow crashing against the canvas. "Unh!", she cried out, in her high-pitched voice, as she rolled slightly from her tangle and brought her opposite hand to the elbow to nurse it.