Entropy Championship Title Match: Valley Doll (C) vs. Ava Landry - The Brass Ring [FWC]

Things were going well, everything was running smoothly, and then Valley had ‘the moment’.

‘The moment’ was a thing that all high-flyers knew well, far better than their peers. That horrible little second when she was coming off a big move that didn’t have quite the right impact, in such a way that she knew - she just knew - her opponent had successfully done something to screw it up.

Such was the case here. She’d done the feint kick enough times to know what it felt like when her feet hit something that wasn’t a human skull. The impact was too soft, and the arms wrapping around her legs were all wrong. The instant she put it all together was the same instant she was yanked off the ropes, pulled away and dumped hard on the floor, crashing on her back.

Valley kicked her legs to get out of Ava’s grasp, then tried to whip them around so she could get back to her feet in a hurry. Even if she pulled that off, though, she would be wide open while she did, and her pink-haired foe had already shown she could seize opportunities.

Ava laughed a bit as she felt her arms wrap around Valley's legs. She hadn't really meant to, it just came out, a cute, victorious little laugh. When she realized what she had just done she gave Valley an apologetic look, hoping that she hadn't just been rude.

Still, this was a wrestling match, so a little faux pas wasn't going to bring the Canadian down. She tried her best to hold onto Valley's legs, hoping to pull the American into a submission hold, only for her opponent to start kicking them around. As much as she'd like to try, Ava knew that the damage she'd take trying to keep her hold wasn't worth the pain she'd take doing it, so she dropped the champ. Her arms were already feeling sore enough having blocked the kick, she didn't feel like getting them smacked around more so soon after.

Besides, this might lead to other opportunities.

So Ava retreated a step, and waited, watching as Valley tried to whip around to get back on her feet. As soon as Ava saw a moment where the champ's back was to her, she'd rush in, hoping to wrap her arms around Valley's stomach. If she managed that, she'd then try to lift the champ off her feet and launch her backwards in a German Suplex.

For a moment, Valley hoped that maybe she’d done such a good job of making Ava wary of her that she’d back off, give her some space, and perhaps not capitalize on the glaring opening she’d left herself in as she rose up.

She learned that her hopes were in vain the moment she felt arms around her waist, clamping tight from behind.

A German Suplex. Ava was pulling her back for a German Suplex, and it’d be a doozy, too, from the feel of it. Valley reached for the ropes, but by then it was too late - her feet were off the ground and she was sailing through the air.

Even then though, she had options. As Ava launched her, Valley attempted to put some extra torque into the rotation, flipping back so that she’d land on her feet, a common counter to the classic move…

...but one that wasn’t going to work today. Instead, she just managed to splat on her chest, landing flat on the canvas. It wasn’t as bad as crashing on her shoulders, but it still knocked the wind out of her. With a grunt and a shake of her head, she started to push her way back up once more, but it was slow going...

Ava tucked and rolled off to the side as she felt the German Suplex land with Valley's chest flopping to the canvas. The Canadian hopped up to her feet, wheeling about to face the American, ready to fend off more attacks from her opponent.

Except, her opponent wasn't standing there getting ready to charge. Valley was still getting up.

This left options open for the Canadian. She could do the smart thing and go for a submission hold, try and pull Valley into a headlock, or an abdominal stretch, or try to knock her back down and put her in a Boston Crab. Or she could do something flashy that might not work, but would look totally awesome.

Aw, what the heck, it's a title match. May as well try to give the audience something to watch.

Ava would try to duck around behind the champ while she was still standing, then, when her opponent was almost back to her feet, would rush in and try to duck between the American's legs, attempting to grab them on her way through.

If she managed this, she would try to stand back to her full height, holding Valley on her shoulders before falling backwards, sending them careening towards the canvas in an electric chair.

Okay, Valley, enough messing around. You’re the best. You’re the champ.

As she made her way back up the Slamazon psyched herself up, remembering who she was, and more importantly, who she was against. Ava was good - great, even - but she was a champion. The champion. She’d faced more experienced women in the past, and she’d face them again in the future. The conclusion of this match shouldn’t be in doubt.

Her back was turned to Ava, but that wasn’t exactly a problem - in fact, it was perfect. She could hear feel her opponent’s footfalls on the mat, tell she was close behind. It was just the right position for one of Valley’s signature moves: the Pele Kick. A guaranteed gamechanger. All she had to do was look over her shoulder to judge the distance right, and then-

Wait, where was Ava?

She got that answer soon enough, as she felt the Canadian’s head slipping through her legs, lifting her up to a piggyback position with ease. The normal counter to this would’ve been a reverse hurricanrana, but she was so taken aback that it slipped her mind for a moment. A moment too long, as it turned out.

Down Valley went, crashing hard into the with a quaking impact, one that jolted her body so hard that it looked like the electric chair had lived up to its name. She went flopping away, rolling twice, before she came to a stop with her face to the ground and her legs impotently kicking the mat.

Whoo boy, that one hurt more than she had been anticipating.

Ava sluggishly rose from the electric chair with a sore back, and a stinging pain in her neck. Still, if she was feeling some burn, she could only imagine what it had felt like to be in Valley's position. Looking over, the Canadian winced a little as she saw the blonde skid to a halt, kicking the mat. She felt kind of bad, her inner Canadian prompting her to say sorry.

But this was a match, and you were kind of expected to get hurt during a match. So instead of apologizing, Ava made her way over to Valley and tried to take advantage of the situation. Which, in Ava's mind, meant getting ready to do a submission hold.

Namely, Ava was aiming for a Boston Crab. Just a little payback for the variant that she had suffered earlier into the match. The Canadian would try to step over Valley and sit on the American's back, then attempt to grab at her legs and pull them up off the ground to put a nice amount of stress on her opponent's spine.

While a small part of her wanted to be mad at Ava for getting the better of her like this, a much, much larger part of her was mad at herself. Yes, the pinkette was good, a true talent, and she was working in a match outside of her usual comfort zone, but she had herself to blame for letting it get this far and for not being properly prepared. She was the Entropy Champion, and that meant being ready for a wide range of matches. Should’ve seen this coming.

Regardless, she was here now, she had to deal with it.

Ava looked to make the most of her moment, swiftly moving to capitalize. She sat down on Valley’s back, pinning her to the floor, and even though the Slamazon tried to keep her legs free, there wasn’t too much she could do, still being winded from the electric chair. The Boston Crab was locked in, the pain began, and there was only one thing to do from there: crawl.

And crawl she did. Valley dug into the mat and pulled forward with all of her might, making a hard surge towards the ropes as Ava bent her out of shape. The instant she was in reach, she shot her arm out and grasped the bottom right tight, squeezing so hard her knuckles whitened.

Alright Ava, you managed to get her in the Boston Crab, now you just gotta hold it.

This, the Canadian realized, would be much easier said than done. The champ hadn't made it easy for the rookie so far in the match, and with her title on the line, she didn't think Valley would stop making her fight for every inch now. Even if the American had just taken two suplexes.

Not a moment later Valley proved her right as she started making a move for the ropes, crawling forwards even as Ava tried to hold her in place. Ava would do everything in her power to hold Valley up, but even pressing all of her weight down into the American's back wasn't enough to stop her.

The second the champ's hand grasped the ropes, Ava let go of the American's legs and hopped off of her. She turned on her heel to face Valley, watching her with a mixture of awe and fear. She'd put as much pressure as she could onto the champ for that, and she'd still managed to crawl out of it.

Ava wasn't sure what to do now, think up new ways to get Valley to submit, or ask the champ for an autograph.

It was a weird thing, but somehow, as Valley reached out for the ropes, her mind kept going to Rocky II, as if this match was giving her some deja vu. The story fit well enough - a champion with something to prove, an out-of-nowhere challenger trying to make her name in the world with a career making win. Granted, given the way that movie ended, it was hardly something she wanted to emulate, but the comparisons could be made.

Ava, to her credit, milked the hold for all she could, but let it go the instant she had to, instead of holding it out for the five count. A fact that Valley was eternally grateful for - she wasn’t about to tap out, but the less time her back had to endure the Crab, the better.

The Slamazon kept hold of the ropes and used them to pull her way back up, before turning to face Ava. Her look was focused, zeroing in on the challenger’s face, taking in her full measure. It told the story without using words: She liked Ava, she respected her, but none of that was going to make her hold back.

Valley rubbed her back, hissed and straightened. Moving back into her stance once more, she started to move around the ring with slower, deliberate steps, taking care to stay just out of Ava’s reach as she did.

Ava watched as Valley pulled herself back up to her feet using the ropes, the fear leaving her expression as she did so. It looked like a scene straight out of a movie, the champion pulling herself up to her feet after taking a beating from some newcomer. As the American turned to face her, she felt a shiver run down her spine as she stared straight into the champ's eyes.

The look that Valley shot her told her a lot without any words, so Ava shot a look back. Determined, inspired, still smiling. She respected the champion, she looked up to her, and she was going to do the best she could to kick her butt.

The pinkette took up another defensive stance, watching cautiously as Valley started slowly circling around the ring. Valley was staying just outside of her reach right now, in what Ava saw as an attempt to bait her out. The Canadian wouldn't budge though, only moving to keep following the champ, watching for any fast moves this time. She intended to force Valley to make the first move, knowing that the American, even later into the match, would still be much quicker than she was.