Tag Elimination: The Valkyries Vs. Blaise Cameron, Amy Poford & Mariko Ishii

Preceded By: Domino Vs. Hana Fujioka
Followed By: Tension 24/7 Title match: Carmen Rodriguez(C) Vs. Clyde Gastin


The Valkyries [Mako, Divine & Stone]:


Vs.
Blaise Cameron, Amy Poford & Mariko Ishii:


Match Type: Elimination Tag
Winning Condition: Pinfall, Submission or Knockout. When a fall is scored, that member is eliminated. When all three members are eliminated, their opponents will be declared the winner.
Special Conditions: None

-Nathan Weed VS Makoto Takeda-

The start of all the troubles. Makoto, fresh off a loss in the tag team tournament against the UKE, takes on Nathan Weed. The fight quickly gets out of hand and drags Amy Poford into the mix. Nathan manages to keep them from getting beaten too badly, but only by embarrassing Amy in front of live TV.

-Seriously, Bro-

Blaise, a friend of Amy’s and a perennial jobber, sticks up for her and challenges Nathan to a match. This also, inadvertently, draws the attention of the Valkyries.

-Blaise Cameron vs. Nathan Weed-

Blaise takes on a distraught and apologetic Nathan.

-Mariko Ishii vs. Divine-

Divine has a surprisingly intense and competitive facesitting match with Mariko Ishii. She seems to have the match in hand, when a threat to Mariko’s brother, Yamato, causes her to go into overdrive and beat the Brazilian handedly and in a humiliating fashion. Divine calls in Stone and Mako, and the three of them beat up Mariko and leave her laying.

-Blaise Cameron vs. Stone-

Stone tries to have a competitive match with Blaise Cameron. Mako, however, is set on not letting this happens, and screws things up to try and teach Blaise a lesson and keep Stone from losing.

-Spongebob Therapy-

Blaise is comforted by Amy after his loss at the hands of the Valkyries.

-Amy Poford vs. Mako Takeda-

Amy stumbles on Mako at a gas station, and the two of them have a fierce, impromptu wrestling match on the spot.

-Can’t We Be Friends-

Blaise and Amy try to enlist the help of Mariko, but the Japanese native isn’t all that game about starting trouble with the Valkyries...

-Her Brother’s Keeper-

...unfortunately, the Valkyries are game about starting trouble with her. Divine gets her revenge on Mariko by capturing her brother and molesting him on camera, posting the video out around the internet in an effort to embarrass him.  Mariko is, predictably, enraged to epic proportions.

-Scare Tactics-

An emboldened Blaise calls out the Valkyries.

-Stone vs. Blaise Cameron-

Blaise gets another shot at Stone, and once again gets cut off by Mako. He manages to pick up the DQ win, though, leaving Mako incensed. There will be consequences and repercussions.

-Extinguishing the Blaise-

Mako decides to deal with the Blaise problem herself, challenging him to an ‘I Quit’ match. Blaise agrees.

-Are You #&@%ing Insane?-

Amy tries to make young Blaise realize how ill-advised his actions are. It doesn’t go well.

-Blaise vs. Makoto Takeda-

A sullen Blaise takes on a fierce Mako, who’s out for blood. Things look bleak, until Amy arrives to make the save. The other Valkyries come out and make the save, and things look bleak again, until MARIKO finally joins the fray, gunning to avenge her brother. It breaks down into a brawl that security can barely contain, until Melissa Sellers comes out and puts them all in an elimination match at the next Tension PPV, CLIMAX!

-Moment’s Respite-

Blaise has a tender moment with his girlfriend, Suzumi, as the day of destiny nears….

-Zero Cool Laser-

Mariko and Amy go to meet Blaise and talk of strategy.

Purple and gold laser lights flashed all around the stage while as Mariko Ishii's music began to blare over the speakers in the arena, and the crowd immediately burst into loud cheers as the violet haired vixen stepped out onto the stage! Mariko was dressed in her usual golden top and matching shorts, pink thigh high stockings and white boots. The only thing unusual about her appearance was the lack of her otherwise typical near-seductive grin. It was obvious she was heavily focused, and ready for a fight.

Tonight was to be her second appearance in an AFW ppv event. Without a doubt, a big moment in her young career, one she certainly much hoped would have a very different ending than her match at Showdown. Mariko and Yamato had both received lots of compliments on their performance, but the crushing feeling of letting her beloved brother down to this day still prevented Mariko from feeling even an ounce of pride for her efforts that night. Tonight, she was set to go to war in dedication to Yamato again. And though there were no championships at stake, it felt as if far more was on the line this time. Mariko didn’t know if she could bare it if she failed her brother again. Not only would that mean the people who’d assaulted him would get away with it, but the thought of the Valkyries being allowed to continue walking over them and anyone else they decided to set their sights on was something Mariko simply wasn’t able to stomach. Tonight, the Valkyries needed to learn that the Ishiis, Blaise Cameron and Amy Poford were not to be trifled with any further.

Mariko maintained her focused, yet intense expression as she walked straight down the ramp and stepped through the ropes to enter the ring. Not any sign of blatant attention was given to the capacity crowd, which seemed every bit as large as the audience from Showdown had been, if not bigger. But unlike that night, the large crowd was not even a remote factor in Mariko’s mind tonight. And as she paced back and forth in the ring, awaiting the arrival of her partners for this match, Mariko felt more eager to get this match started than she’d ever felt for a match before. The moment she could get her hands on the Valkyries again was finally near at hand...

Amy hadn’t planned on any sort of special entrance for the PPV; that wasn’t what this was about. This was about sending a message, about righting a wrong. It was the culmination of a conflict that had resulted in several bodily injuries upon her person and upon the persons of those close to her; a conflict that had devastated one of her longest relationships, and had nearly wrecked a second before it even had the chance to flourish. It was about purging a chronic scourge in the only way she knew how- through righteous, glorious beatdown.

But then her eyes caught on the wealth of options under the “entrance” portion of the PPV rider, and her greed got the better of her.

In seconds, she’d borrowed a Sharpie from somebody and made tidy little checkmarks by each of the available fireworks- sparklers? Of course. Roman candles? Naturally. Crossettes? Don’t know what those are, but I know I want them. Then, under where it said quantity, she’d scribbled, “Do your worst.”

Hehehehe.

She didn’t start to regret her self-indulgence until the night of the show, when she watched Mariko make her way to the ring on a television backstage. Mariko had elected to enter to a tasteful and understated light show, moving- almost floating- with an easy grace atop her brisk entrance music and the crowd’s adulation. On her face, she wore a determined expression, clearly focused on the fight at hand. She was elegant and chic without being flashy, and she was all-business; Amy was going to look like a buffoon in comparison. Shit.

Too soon, it was her turn. She made her way from the green room to curtain, a gang of staff swarming about her like a cloud of flies all the way. They left her ring attire- black cycling shorts, black combat gloves, and the white t-shirt with Blaise’s signature low around her obliques- largely alone. Instead, they fussed at her hair, her eyebrows, her face; was she sure she didn’t want a little eyeliner? Some lipstick?- “I'm sure, but th-” How about switching that ratty old hair-tie out for this pretty white bow? It tested well with focus groups. “No, I’m good, thank y-” Then there were the few who were spouting a different sort of last-minute garbage altogether- the one on her left babbled on about music synchronization, something about where in the song they had timed the bigger bursts- “Um, okay, i think i got-” A couple more walked backwards in front of her while pointing at a diagram of the stage, imploring her not to step where they had drawn the angry, red Xs- “Xs: bad. Alri-” Yet another somebody pressed something urgently into her hand and then pointed at his ears. “Wh-?”

But then they arrived at the arena entrance, and he was gone. They all were, in a flurry of “good luck!”s and friendly slaps to her back so sudden that it made her dizzy. Amy felt a little bit way in over her head. PPVs really were a whole different beast; she was even more nervous now than she had been at her debut match. Amy felt sick.

But Amy didn’t have time to indulge her nausea. The announcer was reading her name, and, even from behind the concrete, she could hear the crowd begin to stir. Amy took deep breaths, shook herself out. It was time. Ken the Sound Guy gave her her cue, and she stepped out onto the top of the ramp. The crowd started to build.

Then Amy realized that her fists were clenched, and not from nervousness. She opened her hand and stared blankly at the two innocuous-looking objects that sat there. Pills? The tech guy had pointed at his… oh, duh; they’re earpl-

Her music started to play.

*X* *X* *X* IS BURRRRRRRRRNN~!  

The first explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. She stumbled backwards to stay upright, not even realizing that her hearing had been supplanted by a distant buzzing noise, or that anything that she was perceiving as sound was actually the concussive force of the fireworks that she had commissioned so carelessly. She also failed to realize that the initial burst had blinded her until her vision returned, fresh spots in the corners, but otherwise functional. She didn’t realize these things because she was too busy recoiling from the sudden burst of intense heat on her skin- long jets of flame fired up aggressively all around her, (oh right; she vaguely remembered marking a box for “flamethrowers,” too) and at only a minimally safe distance; she wished that she’d been given a little more time with that diagram.

“Fuck!” But her distress was instantly swallowed by the second volley of pyrotechnics. This one was a little less harsh, consisting of a torrent of starbursts of all colors that mercifully erupted over the crowd instead of at the ramp. Her vision thus spared, she was able to finally see the audience for the first time. Some had their hands clasped over their ears, others had to shield their eyes with their forearms; she even thought she saw a couple of younger fans crying at the sudden assault on their senses. But most of the crowd were on their feet, vying with the display for control of the air, decibel for decibel, with frenzied shouts, cheers, roars.

Amy watched the masses marvel at the mayhem that she’d inspired. Her entrance was excessive and ostentatious. It was also extraordinarily irresponsible and almost certainly in reckless violation of a number of fire codes. But the unrestrained extravagance of it all finally got Amy to shed the last of her anxiety with a delighted little cackle. Exhilarating.

The third wave hit- a ripple of sparking, crackling fireworks that lit a path all the way to the ring- a clear cue. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she took off down the ramp at an all-out sprint.

She slid into the ring and bounded up the far corner post. As the barrage of fireworks continued to bombard the air and the lights danced around the arena, she took a long, sweeping gaze over the crowd, the crowd that was losing their minds. For her. For her team. For the justice that they were about to deliver to the gang that had plagued their show for far too long. It wasn’t even that long ago that Amy had been afraid of this crowd, of their voracious energy. Now though, she was riding the crest of their excitement, in control, and loving it. She shot a fist up in the air, and they roared in response. Amy closed her eyes. Then she dug her elbows into her sides, thrust her chest out, threw her head back, and let loose a ferocious battle cry that pierced through the chaos. As if on cue, one final salvo of rockets fired from around the ring, framing her exultant form in a bright, cosmic light.

Finally, as her music began to fade, Amy hopped off of the turnbuckle. She retreated to where Mariko stood on the apron, shooting her teammate a V for victory sign as she joined her. Amy was already sweating, even panting a little. But she was also grinning; vigor pumped through every inch of her bloodstream, and her body language had but a single message to convey: I’m ready.

What's a butterfly? Pretty to look at, spirited, uplifting, and fragile. Yet all it takes is a beat of its colorful wings to kick up a storm.

In Blaise's corner of the situation, he stepped up to have a match with another guy for the sake of a friend he'd betrayed. And here he is, standing in a PPV with that friend, another friend, and a small militia of nigh-Mad Max villains, poised at the precipice of an upheaval of power.

The young grappler waits in the green room, thinking back over the dizzying circumstances that lead to this night. He was a part of it almost from conception, and he still isn't sure he has all the pieces connected properly. But what he does know is that tonight, the Valkyries made a mistake; they agreed to fight the three of them. Amy, Mariko, and he would all come out swinging, with nothing left to lose. They could change the course of Tension and make a clear statement here - one the Valkyries would never forget. It was something he failed to do on his own. But tonight, there'll be a very raw synergy at play.

Man, was he looking forward to it.

Already dressed in his tribal-striped sapphire blue trunks and boots, Blaise's anticipation grows with each of his teammate's entrances. Mariko's hot, classy, and carrying herself with all the poise and severity of a proper PPV combatant. She looks ready to take on the enemy team all on her own, and given her body language, looks like she'd even have a shot of it! Amy's...

A quiet snicker escapes him before he can bite it back. The blasts create audible feedback in the microphones, the flashes force the cameras to refocus. She looked like she was kind of dodging her own pyros!  It's adorkable! But it's quickly replaced with that downhome Amy brand of intensity that Blaise has always liked about her. Nothing fake about her. And that shirt... is she wearing the signature tee? That warms his heart a little more. His best friend in Japan, fighting in the ring with him, wearing his first-ever signature - it's very sweet.

He gets the signal to get into position.

"And lastly!"

"At 5 feet, 10 inches!"

"Weighing in at 158 pounds~!"

"Blaise! Camerooooon!"

The arena lights black out. The speakers pump out the infamous opening line of Kansas's "Carry On My Wayward Son." As soon as the percussion first hits, neon blue laser-lights flare around the arena ceiling. The arena lights kick on again, and Blaise springs into view to the accompaniment of two gouts of flames and a roar of praise from the audience. The force of the cheer nearly bowls him over. He's never been met with so much welcoming approval - his corner of the audience has always been niche; those who never stop pulling for the underdog. His right fist pumps into the air, unable to do anything but bask in the moment for a few seconds, eyes shut and wearing a radiant smile that just won't be going away any time soon.

The runway isn't marked with sparklers. He doesn't rush the ring, all business. He moves from one side of the aisle to the other at an enthusiastic clip, slapping high-fives, shaking hands, and generally let the audience know how much their support means to him. He pauses here and there to give some hugs, receive well-wishes, and smoosh his cheek against a fan's for a stick-assisted selfie. When he reaches the ring apron, he hops up onto the edge and grabs the top rope. With another hop, he plants his boots on the middle rope to vault himself up and over, hitting the mat with smooth roll and ending his momentum in a sharp, one-armed handstand. With legs poised in the air, he uses his free hand to flick a boyish, upside-down salute to the audience.

The load-bearing arm pumps, and he springs himself into the air to land upright on his feet. Bright blue eyes set to his teammates, and he makes his way to their designated corner. Amy's going to get a quick hug around the waist, should she permit, and Mariko will be subjected to a much less personal, but no less meaningful hand to the shoulder.

Without a hint of irony, he asks over the roar of the audience, "Ready to save Tension?"

After Blaise, Amy and Mariko made their stunning and thunderous entrances, the crowd was positively electrified, unified in their rabid chants. Men, women, and children all chanted for their favorites. Some gave Amy all their love, some were solidly behind the hometown girl with Mariko, and many still were behind Blaise, the plucky jobber who was standing up for the business he believed in. After a moment, the people began to unify, settling into a single rallying cry and becoming one mind.

"BAM! BAM! BAM!"

It was a truly amazing, heart warming sight to behold, as the people all rallied behind thier heroes. Things were changing in Tension. Heroes were standing up for what was right, showing the darker elements that they couldn't operate as they pleased. The AFW seemed to have so many shades of grey, it could be hard to root for anyone ati times, but this wasn't like that. The good guys were here, bright days were ahead, and they started tonight, at CLIMAX.

And then lights went out, save for a dim grey glow by the entrance, and all the cheering came to an abrupt, screeching halt.

Familiar, hated music played throughout the coliseum as the predictable boos began, but this time it wasn't just the three Valkyries that every one was familiar with. At the top of the ramp the silhouettes of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve women all became visible, of all different shapes and sizes. All the Valkyries had come to bear witness.


The women all stood, side by side, facing the ring like they were ready to charge at any given second. But they didn't. They simply stood in the darkness. Waiting. Watching. Unmoving, until some of them stepped aside and three figures that everyone recognized came in between them.


The lights came up to reveal the Valkyries standing at the top of the entrance rank, flanked by their gang on both sides. Stone, Divine, and, of course, Mako at the center of them all. The three of them wore their biker helmets, but even with them on and the matching leather outfits, their forms and stances alone gave them away. Stone stood with her arms folded, tall and powerful.  Divine had her hips cocked to the side with a seductive sway in her hips. Mako was cracking her knuckles and swaying her head from side to side - even with her face completely obscured, everyone could tell she was smiling underneath.

"Showtime."

The three of them began to make their way down the entrance ramp, walking in unison with Mako slightly ahead. The crowd jeered them all, booed loudly, cursed, even tried to throw a few things before security stopped them. Mako didn't care, and she doubted Stone or Divine did, either. They didn't come to Tension to win popularity contests. No, they were here to dominate, and that was what this match was all about. The Valkyries were the new power in the AFW to be feared, and everyone would understand why before they were through.

She slipped into the ring and came up to a single knee, as Divine daintily sauntered up the steps nearby and slipped through the middle and the top rope, giving the nearby cameraman a good view of her luscious backside and her long, lithe legs. Stone was the final one to get inside the ring, as she hopped up on the apron, grabbed the top rope, and leaped inside with a single bound, hitting with enough force to make the entire ring shake and quake on her landing.

Mako rose up as her partners stood beside her, looking at their opponents on the other side of the ring. The three of them exchanged nods, and then the helmets all came off.

Divine was smirking. She licked her lips and blew a kiss at Mariko.

Stone's face was hardened and serious as she stared down at Amy.

Mako looked at Blaise with a wide, devious smile, as if she knew she were about to have the best day of her entire life. "So," She pleasantly chirped and gave her helmet a good smack as the referee came in, stepping between them. "Who wants to get broken first?"

After her partners had entered the ring, Mariko trained her eyes on the entranceway again as the lights dimmed and the Valkyries’ music began to play. Within seconds a dozen women had all taken the stage, though the three Mariko were interested in were nowhere to be seen among them. At least, not immediately. But once the sea of bikers parted, the trio finally came into view. Despite the full gear each was wearing from head to toe, discerning who was who was a simple task. Naturally, Mako was front and center. Stone’s impressive size stuck out like a sore thumb. And by process of elimination, the third one had to be Divine.

“There you are...” Mariko muttered as she watched the three walk down the aisle. Despite the small army standing by the stage, the violet haired vixen paid them little mind. Perhaps not the wisest thing to do, but she was simply so hellbent on finally venting her anger tonight that it didn’t matter how many Valkyries there were. She’d go through every last one of them if she had to. Regardless, the ones she was actually scheduled to fight were top of the priority list.

Mariko stumbled slightly as Stone’s weight landing on the canvas made the whole ring shake, but she quickly regained her balance and resumed glaring at the trio of bikers. Once the helmets came off, she looked right at Divine, and gave a low growl as the girl blew a kiss her way. And almost as soon as Mako asked her question, Mariko turned to face her partners and put a hand against their shoulders, and gave them a gentle nudge to motion them toward the corner. “I’ve got it. Let me get this thing started.”

She’d then turn around again and move closer to the center of the ring, standing directly in front of Divine while glaring into the girl’s eyes. Even without saying anything, it was pretty clear Mariko was essentially challenging Divine to take her on right off the bat. She was going to be coming for the Brazilian sooner or later tonight regardless. Might as well get right to it.

“You’re going to wish you’d never been born when I’m done breaking you...”

Fire continued to burn a path through Amy's system. It hadn't diminished in the slightest when Blaise made his entrance; on the contrary, watching the audience worship him only maximized Amy's already mile-wide grin. Dude just loved being a pro-wrestler, and it showed. He took his time coming down, showing the aisle-side fans enthusiastic TLC, and receiving equally enthusiastic TLC in return. He was living his dream, and that made Amy happy.

Nor did her spirit wane at the arrival of their opponents. Why should it have? Here were the hated three at last, their extremely punchable faces just a ring away. And- oh man, look at Stone. Amy squared her body with the giantess and studied her face. Stone's body was stiff, and she wore an expression that might have sent Amy crawling for cover in any other context. Amy blinked; Stone did not. Amy shivered with a hungry anticipation. Chills. Stone wasn't fucking around tonight, and she'd apparently set her sights on Amy. It was Christmas.

Amy's hands closed into fists, then opened again. Her chest rose and fell in a steady, excited rhythm. Her jaw clenched tight. If she didn't get to fight something soon, she was going to explode.

But she knew that whatever bloodlust she was feeling, Mariko was feeling it at ten times the intensity. Amy, like so many others on the roster, had suffered personally at the hands of the Valkyries. But no one was likely to be craving retribution as fiercely the Ishiis, not nearly; not tonight. If Mariko wanted to go first, Amy wasn't going to stop her; she deserved that much, at least.

So when Mariko ushered Amy and Blaise toward their corner, Amy didn't resist. Instead, she pressed a fist to Mariko's shoulder. "Fuck her up," Amy offered helpfully.

She stepped out of the ring and onto the apron, sparing a quick glance over at the wall of silent woman at the top of the ramp. She didn't think that Mako would want them interfering in the show tonight, but Amy felt a little unsettled nonetheless. "Watch your back," she cautioned Blaise under her breath.

Mako looked at the challengers, taking in all the possibilities. As far as instructions had gone, she'd given her partners only one: Blaise was hers. No matter what went down, no matter how the dice rolled, the priviledge of breaking him on live TV was to be hers and hers alone. Anything else, she didn't much care about, though she would've been very content to make Amy squeal if the opportunity came up. Settling things from their little dust-up at the 7/11 was still on her list of priorities.

But she didn't get Amy or Blaise, first - no, Mariko, her fellow countrywoman, was the first to step forward. Sure enough, Divine stepped forward as well, handing over her helmet to the referee as she approached. She looked over at Mariko with that same sly smile she'd had on while she 'took care' of Yamato, and that wasn't a coincidence.

Mako and Stone stepped back between the ropes as the two of the prepared to begin the match proper, taking their place out on the apron. As she went, though, the Valkryie leader had a few parting words for Divine. "Make her bleed."

"Profusely." Divine lowered into her stance and kept her eyes locked on Mariko, as they waited for the bell to ring. "Looking for revenge, huh? Don't know why." She licked her lips, like a tigress getting ready to close in on her prey.  "Not like I did anything to Yamato that you wouldn't do to some other guy in the ring..."

Mariko gave a brief nod in response to Amy, but otherwise kept her attention fully focused on Divine as the Brazilian stepped forward. The bell hadn’t even rung yet, and already loud chants of “MA-RI-KO!! MA-RI-KO!!” began echoing out from the capacity crowd. But the only words she paid any attention to were the ones coming from Divine’s lips, each one furthering her desire to lash out at the girl right here and now. By some miracle, she managed to restrain herself.

“Don’t give me that bullshit!” Mariko growled in response. “I’m not like you. And there’s no excuse for what you did...”

The ref had started taking a couple steps toward the two women to try to separate them before starting the match. But after a quick glance at Mariko, then to Divine, then back to Mariko again, the girl quickly thought better of it and backed away. And after a quick hand wave over toward the announcers’ table, the bell rang.

Ding ding ding!

The second the bell sounded, Mariko went right on the attack, like a bullet out of a gun. Roaring out, she hurled her right forearm directly at Divine’s pretty face, aiming to blast her with a heavy strike right off the bat! Mariko wasn’t typically the “brawling” type, but this wasn’t a typical match. Yes, each team genuinely wanted to prove they were better than the other tonight, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind this was going to be every bit as much of a fight as a wrestling match...