Starting with Submission: Isa Hjalmarsdottir vs. Taylor Parrish

Submission Match
Victory Condition: The woman who forces her opponent into a tapout or verbal submission will win the match.

This was it - Taylor's first match on Friction.

As she heard the muffled opening of her theme playing in the open arena before her, she coped with the last of the excited nerves that only now chose to tickle at her senses. She had prepared herself for this new experience long before tonight; a few more people in the crowd and a television audience didn't make any difference. At its core, it remained wrestling. Taylor knew how to win over fans - put on a good performance, provide them with a little loving, and ultimately, emerge as a powerful contender. She intended to hit all of those marks tonight.

When her song hit the drumroll, she rushed onto the stage, pausing there to flash her toothiest smile and provide a broad wave to the crowd. Their cries sounded like music to her ears, and immediately, Taylor felt primed that they would back her straight to a victory and beyond. She noted her own confidence, and she would temper it - except that she knew the woman who would fight her tonight could not match her desire to win tonight.

And if she did, Taylor would disappoint her by bending a few of her appendages and stuffing her between her legs a few times. No problem, ultimately - not judging by the way they had described her opponent.

The Friction match-makers seemed the "wait and see" types, since Taylor had only been told that she would be fighting a woman with some minor experience, as a way to gauge Taylor's readiness for the limelight. Taylor didn't bother to tell them, but she knew that if they had decided to stick her in the ring with someone who hadn't proven too impressive, she would wipe the floor with her. She had been the headline act in her small promotion for years, and though she knew that past success didn't instantly grant her a free pass to become a contender in the AFW, she was confident that she could capably represent herself as a new, enticing brand. She sought the true contenders, not a green competitor at the bottom of the card. She may have given the woman she would fight too little credit, she had admitted to herself, but the less Taylor could consider her an obstacle, the better.

She hopped nimbly onto the bottom ropes at the turnbuckle across from her opponent, blowing a kiss to the crowd and taking a moment to appreciate its size before she hopped down to the mats. Her eyes lingered intently on the stage while she removed her jacket and cast it aside, anxious to see the competition.

But first, she had a few people to address.

She gestured for a mic, and with the plan for this small announcement of her arrival already in place, she received it. "Hellooo there, Japan," she crooned. "It's good to see all of you. It's better to hear all of you!" The cheer they gave in response obliged her, and Taylor waited with a smile and a hand on her hip for them to get their fill. They did sound great. Finally, she lifted the mic to her red lips again. "You've heard my name. I'm not going to stand here and hold you captive while I stroke my own ego for ten minutes. That brand of narcissism always bored me, and I don't want to bore you. I only want to ask you to do two things."

She waited a beat, and then continued. "Watch closely, and enjoy."

From the moment Isa Hjalmarsdottir had entered the AFW ring for the first time, it had been quite clear what kind of strategy she had as a wrestler. Her main asset had always been her lower-body strength - her powerful legs and lethal scissor holds. Those had guaranteed her success in her tiny university wrestling promotion back in Iceland, and so far she had fared quite fine in AFW with them as well. Some had already had to found out that Isa appeared as cute and innocent in the ring - until she wrapped her legs around you.

So, when Isa was suggested taking on a submission match, that sounded like being right up her alley. While she had no actual idea about what her opponent was going to be like this time, for some reason, it just sounded like she would be similar to the previous ones: a smaller girl who'll eventually get frustrated in her clutches.

And with a submission match for a change, this time Isa could try out her alternate wrestling attire as well. It was all turquoise and pretty, and Isa considered it to represent well her kind and innocent, angelic, character.

Isa Hjalmarsdottir:

One more thing to be happy about tonight was the fact that her opponent was going to enter the ring first. Isa loved getting a chance to observe her opponents, and in fact, it was a crucial part of her strategy as well. The blonde always thought that getting to know her opponents' style was necessary in order to gain the upper hand of them.

"Taylor Parrish... Let's see what you're like" Isa thought to herself as her opponent for the night was making her appearance. The crowds seemed to like her all right... But that wasn't a problem, really. They usually loved Isa as well. Then Taylor started talking... And based on what Isa heard, sounded as if it was her first appearance? Really? Isa was a relative rookie in AFW herself as well, and now she'd be facing a debutant? Well, that probably could only make things easier for her.

After Taylor had done her talking, it was Isa's turn to make her appearance. Making her way to the ring in her usual cute, calm and collected manner, Isa then proceeded to perform her usual entrance greetings. She quickly jumped sitting onto the top rope, crossing her legs and greeting the audience waving her hands. She then proceeded to repeat those actions on the other side of the ring, before gracefully making her way towards the center of the ring.

It was time to find out what Taylor was like. Offering her hand for a shake, Isa proceeded to greet her opponent. "Hi, I'm Isa!" she started with a cute smile. "So, is it your first time tonight?"

Taylor retreated to a corner to get her legs stretched, but she watched the emergence of her mystery opponent closely.

She did not expect the figure who emerged, and as the introduced "Isa," the "Angel of"...ice?...strolled her way calmly towards the ring, the curious Canadian crept closer to get a better look.

Tall - maybe taller than Taylor. She didn't wear much, looking like she had wandered out of a the nearest Victoria's Secret dressing room, but damn if she didn't make it look good. With hips like hers, she couldn't blame her for wearing nothing more than a few straps around her waist. In fact, the woman seemed to be about ninety percent hips and shapely legs. Blonde hair, blue eyes. They made a matching pair.

...Interesting. Taylor didn't know what to make of this "Angel of Ice." Did it matter, though? She would feel her out during the match, and judging by all the skin her opponent exposed, Taylor would feel a whole lot. She resisted snickering at her own observation, as she gave the woman a longer look once she joined her in the ring.

And what a cheerful countenance. No, she was more pageant contestant than Victoria's Secret model.

As if to confirm the Canadian's assumptions, she approached with an extended hand. Taylor peered at her, outright surprised. The veteran didn't have a habit of friendly antics while in the ring - she had seen women get poked in the eyes for their naivety. She didn't get the sense that she was the one with the naivety here, however.

She clasped hands with the other blonde. "First time here. But not my first rodeo." The temptation to make a comment about "roping" Isa crossed her mind, but she resisted. Isa appeared too genuine. "Good to have another blonde along for the ride," she told her with a smile, instead, as the ref slowly slipped into frame in preparation for the start of the match.

True, Isa's choice of attire tonight was on the skimpier end of the scale. It the kind that one could have expected to spot on a catwalk instead of a wrestling ring, but that didn't really matter to Isa. Even if it was somewhat contrary to her generally innocent character, for some reason, she really liked that attire. She had to admit to herself that she did look rather good in it, and utilising that to her advantage could only be a plus in the match, right?

Oh, and the management had encouraged her to dress up in that attire this time as well.

Obviously, Isa was keen to evaluate her opponent as well. While introducing herself, she'd finally have the perfect opportunity to do so. And Taylor didn't seem to be quite the same as she had imagined beforehand... Instead of being a smaller girl rather easily controlled, Taylor seemed to be surprisingly similar to her. Maybe just slightly smaller in size, but still a beautiful blonde with legs appearing to be on the stronger end of the scale. Apparently it wasn't just Isa happy with the submission rules, maybe it was both of them.

One notable difference was her outfit though. If Isa aimed to appear somewhat angelic, Taylor on the other hand was more like a femme fatale. She didn't appear exactly heelish, but compared to Isa, she definitely seemed to be the naughtier one. Still, probably honest enough for a hand shake.

Huh, "rodeo". While something got lost in translation and Isa wasn't quite sure about what Taylor meant by that, the connotations of that were, characteristically, much more innocent for her than Taylor. Instead of roping someone, Isa was just thinking about the horses. She loved them! And honestly, all the horseback riding she had done up and down the volcanoes of Iceland was largely to be thanked for her leg strength.

"Thanks, I agree!" she replied politely to her opponent's statement. "Welcome then, let's have a good one!" If her opponent was debuting, Isa did feel some responsibility for being the welcome committee.

Retreating then towards her corner to prepare for the match, Isa was excited to see how this match would turn out to be like. Surely the odds were on her side - her opponent was, supposedly, just a rookie, and she could probably use her experience to overpower her eventually. But seeing how Taylor's body was built like, she could potentially turn out to be a tough opponent nonetheless.

Very pageant contestant indeed. Taylor couldn't help but feel a touch of amusement at the exchange.

The woman remained an incredibly unreadable curiosity. If Isa wrestled in a style as benign as her attitude, Taylor would have this match over in no time by pure force of her passion. As demure as Isa may have sounded and acted, though, Taylor could not ignore the observation that anyone who walked with such confidence, especially while showing off her body in such a way, could only be so mild. And those legs...they looked even more sculpted up close, like those of session girls who specialized in little more than squeezing their opponents dry for the camera. Taylor would need to keep an eye on them - not a problem, since she would have a hard time overlooking them. The dangers Isa would pose otherwise, however, Taylor could not yet determine.

For now, though, they could continue their pleasantries. At least Taylor wouldn't go into the match hating her, merely wary. She widened her smile, still having a hard time adjusting to all this warmth in a ring of combat. "That's the plan," she agreed, before they parted at the ref's behest.

Taylor retreated long enough to watch the call for the bell. At its signal, she whirled back to face down her opponent, legs spread and her arms raised.

She did not have the whole picture of Isa's offerings, and what better way to gain some clarity than to seek to meet the woman in a battle of strength, she decided. With a wave of her hand, Taylor beckoned Isa to come closer and held out her hands to offer a lock-up. A simple test of one's core strength and their honor, both, and Taylor wanted to know if Isa had these traits.

For Isa, having a strategy was always important. Most of it was usually in place by the time the bell rang, even though there were always some uncertainties regarding the opponent's style of fighting. And as the bell was now imminent, Isa was busy trying to finish up her tonight's planned course of action.

To be honest, it wasn't really that different tonight. This was a submission match, and Isa's favorite moves were submission holds that had granted her lots of success in the past. It could be as simple as that. But the one thing causing hesitation, Taylor's size being on the bigger end of her usual opponents, meant that Isa wasn't perfectly comfortable with her plan.

But when the bell rang, her worries started disappearing. Honestly, the lock-up was Isa's favorite way of starting off a match. It was a perfect way to get some feel of the opponent, and in Isa's case, often intimidate smaller opponents right from the start with her strength. And now with Taylor, Isa was very curious to see whether her frame packed any strength comparable to Isa's own.

A cute smile widened on the Angel's face as she started approaching Taylor with her hands held out as well. Looking deep into her opponent's eyes, Isa locked up with her blonde foe for a proper test of strength. As Taylor was debuting, Isa didn't want to start off too strong though - her plan was to first get some feel of her opponent's powers before increasing her own efforts. But surely if Taylor proved to be strong as well, Isa would eventually go all out with her efforts if necessary.