Tension 24/7 Title Match: Carmen Rodriguez(C) Vs. Clyde Gastin

Belle chuckled as she drove her knee into Carmen's stomach. It felt good to double the Latina over but it was going to feel even better being the one to show back up at the penthouse with the 24/7 title and a smile on her face. Clyde wasn't going to know what to do with himself! First, though, she had to put away the current champ.

Belle yanked one of Carmen's wrists hard and pushed her palm into the girl's back looking to whip her into the nearby blackjack table she was just at a few moments earlier. If she could sling the Latina away, she'd run right after, looking for a follow up clothesline to put Carmen up and over the chip laden felt table.

In the back of Army's head, as he dragged Clyde along and ignored his protests, he realized he would catch hell for this from Carmen...for interfering in a match where inference was clearly allowed. Probably from his girlfriend, Amy, too. Not the sort of thing she would be down with.

But, screw it. This had been a long, long time coming. Good a time as any, good a reason as any.

"What was that, Clyde?" Army pulled the cowboy along with him through the first set of unlocked doors he came across, heading into, of all things, a spa. Tanning bed, sauna, jacuzzi, a vending machine filled with tons of expensive health snacks that were probably barely edible, and a bunch of fru-fru items that looked straight out of a Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Oh, and half a dozen Japanese women who were hurriedly trying to cover their tops in towels the moment Army and Clyde entered. "Oh." He blinked, a little surprised by the luck. "Hi, ladies."

***

Back downstairs, some patrons were beginning to flee the area, knowing full well the chaos and mayhem that could potentially erupt from an AFW match. Most of the people were staying, though, forming around the perimeter of the casino and enjoying a front row seat. Carmen, needless to say, didn't share in their enthusiasm. As much as she wanted some payback for what the purple-haired bitch did to her at the Tension arena, she wanted it to be on even terms. Belle didn't seem to share the sentiment.

Despite being the smaller woman, the cowgirl had surprising strength, enough to cause some serious pain when she hurled Carmen into the table. She screamed and arched her back on impact, as the aches and pains Clyde made a few minutes ago came back to life. She was in no condition to take on a fresh Belle B. Barker...but she would, anyway.

She winced hard, and opened her eyes just in time see Belle coming in fast - but not in time to dodge. The blow struck her hard in the chest and sent her rolling over the table, scattering chips and cards and dice in every direction as she tumbled. She landed on her feet on the other side and immediately dropped down to a knee, groaning as she leaned on the table for support. Still a good distance from being finished, but much closer than she liked. She kept her head up, making sure to keep Belle in her view at all times.

"Eheheh."

Belle laughed as she watched Carmen flip over the blackjack table. Her eyes gleamed with delight as she grabbed one of the patron's chairs and drug it around to where Carmen was.

"I told y'all I'd give ya a front row seat. This show ain't gonna be long though, so pay attention!"

Belle heaved the chair over her head. Cracking Carmen over the head with it would probably be good enough to finish the girl off. At least, that's what Belle hoped for as she swung it down towards Carmen's head.

Wait for it.

Carmen took in deep breathes as Belle approached, gathering her stamina. She still had enough energy left to fight, but she was going to have to be spartan about it. Go for just the right opportunities and make every blow count.

Wait for it...

She looked up as Belle approached, chair in hand. Not even the metal folding kind that showed up at most wrestling shows. No, the hard wooden kind that would be guaranteed to give her serious damage if it hit. If she was going to do something, it had to be now. Right now.

Fortunately, as Belle raised the chair over her head, Carmen saw something no one else in the room likely did: a wide open target.

She sprung up just as the cowgirl began to bring the chair down. Carmen twisted her body around and jumped to the side in one smooth motion, dodging the chair by no more than a foot. At the same time, she threw a powerful right hook towards Belle's face, throwing her momentum behind the punch for some added damage. The same kind of strike that had knocked many, many women across the world senseless. It would be interesting to see how Belle reacted.

Woosh-clang!

"Guuuuh!"

Everything was quick. The chair missing and hitting the ground and the punch that socked her right in the cheek. She stumbled and collapsed, dropping to her butt and pressing her face to her cheek. She winced from the pain and narrowed her eyes at Carmen.

"Sheesh, ya gotta punch like a chargin bull!" She said and spit before slowly trying to get up. Her head was ringing, but she wasn't going out like that. Belle pushed off her knees and threw herself at Carmen's legs, sloppily trying to crash into the girl's shins and knock her over too.

It was hard to put into words, but for some reason, punching Belle B. Barker in the face was the single most satisfying thing Carmen could remember doing in her entire fighting career. Boxing and wrestling. Even if the worst happened and she did lose the title here, at least she got that itch scratched.

"A lot more where that came from, puta." She spat to the side and staggered back, still hurting from the tumble and trying hard not to show it. She smacked her palm and motioned for Belle to come at her. "Try me."

Belle did, in fact, come at her, moving lower than Carmen expected and taking her down at the knees. Carmen toppled over, falling on the hard, unforgiving floor near the bar. The barteneder wisely started grabbing a few of the pricier drinks of the shelf, getting them to a safe distance before the fight could head his way.

Carmen groggily started to sit up a moment after the impact, doing her best to cope with the torture her back was going through.

"Hey! It's not nice to call your fans bitches!" Belle scolded, grinning as she shuffled up Carmen's legs. "Yer makin it sound like I'm dirty or somethin!"

Belle's eyes gleamed as she pulled up her hand and shoved it into Carmen's chest to keep her from fully sitting up. Her other arm arced around and she looked to drive the point of her elbow between Carmen's legs. Well, just because she WAS a dirty bitch didn't mean that Carmen had to go and say it to her face. That was just rude.

Carmen would give Belle credit - she was tougher than she looked. The champion's punches were weakened at the moment, but still, the hook she'd taken would've slowed down bigger woman for far longer. Maybe it was just the craziness talking, but Belle was as spry as ever. If Carmen hadn't been so busy hating her, she might've found the time to be impressed.

She didn't have time for much of anything, really, and that included getting out from under Belle before she could do real damage. She knew the cunning cowgirl would take advantage of her while she was flat on her back, but she didn't expect it to be so blatant. She was waiting for a shot to the gut, or some ground pound. What she got, instead, was one of the nastier low blows she'd taken in her entire life.

"Fuck!" Carmen cursed, loud and sharp, as she rolled over and grabbed her most delicate part, all while her face shrivled up in pain. And, through it all, she could hear the commentator's opinion on it, coming from the television above the bar.

"And Carmen takes a nasty blow! This new challenger really has her on the ropes, folks. We could be looking at a new champion in a couple of minutes!"

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"See!"

Belle chirped as Carmen rolled over onto her stomach. "Now THAT'S bein a pal." She said and crawled over Carmen and faced her legs, squatting over her and reaching for them. "Givin me a clear set up for a good old fashioned Oklahoma Cloverleaf!"

Belle would try and hook Carmen's legs up and then sit on the girl's back to complete one of her signature moves.

"Reiko," The younger, hipper commentator chimed in. "What's an 'Oklahoma Cloverleaf'?'

Her sager, heavier-sounding partner spoke up with more than a little glee in her voice. "I think we're about to find out!"

Carmen didn't know what an 'Oklahoma Cloverleaf' was and she didn't care. All she knew was that she didn't want to be on the receiving end of it, and she tried to scramble towards the bar and away from Belle before she could execute. She moved as fast as she could with her aches holding her back, but it wasn't fast enough to escape the fiesty, fresher fighter - Belle locked in her submission, and the pain began.

Carmen shrieked for a moment, then quickly bit it back, not wanting Belle to get the satisfaction. The Oklahoma Cloverleaf was excruciating, an intense seering pain that shot up her back and grew worse by the second. Maybe it was worse than Clyde's counterpart, maybe it wasn't, but it hardly mattered. They both unleashed insane hell on her body.

"God damn it..."  Carmen started to crawl forward, as if heading towards a set of ropes that didn't exist. She had to stop her effort after a moment and bury her face into the floor, as the pain reached a new level and kept going. "Coward...get off!"