One foot in the Grave (For Berial)

Maria had put much on the line in her career. Bones broken, blood shed. Years spent on the shelf once....until she finally pulled herself back to remind the world that she was still that dangerous Reaper that she was feared to be. Behind the macabre appearance and presentation, Maria Castillo was a fighter. She was a daughter of fighters. This business was in her very soul, and she wasn't about to let anyone try and take that away from her.

The moment those words left her mouth, Maria shot off like a bullet, legs tense as she dove forward in a slide, looking to get around her guard and nail the woman with superkick RIGHT to the back of her head! This first burst of speed was crucial to putting Remy off her game!

Remy sprinted forward out of her corner and cocked her arm back for a mighty lariat the instant Maria came at her. Her aim was really to just smack down Maria’s offense before it even had a chance to start. Half because that was what made the most sense strategy-wise when facing someone as slippery and quick as the Latina, and half because it would be funny as hell. She almost couldn't believe she took that bait.

But that would have been too easy, right? Figures. Remy’s wide swing hit nothing but air. She knew Maria ducked it but that didn’t mean she could do anything about it. By the time the Canadian recovered from a slight stumble and thought to turn herself around, two feet were in the back of her head.

The heavyweight’s head knocked forward and felt her vision get knocked out of alignment for a moment. Remy stumbled forward another step and stopped dead in the center of the ring, shaking her head left and right to get rid of some of the fog in her eyes.

There was something about planting her boots into the back of Remy's skull that felt VERY satisfying to the latina's mind. So many people loved to underestimate her, to think she was lesser for her height or weight or background. Then they stepped in the ring, and within moments they were sobbing over a sore skull or bruised midsection! It was the same story every time yet Maria never tired of going through it.

Never stopping in her sprint, she jumped onto the second rope, launching herself back at Remy with arm outstretched! Wrapping them around her foe's skull, she looked to bring the giant down with a smooth Cutter, showing off her speed and fluidity in one fell swoop!

Well shit. She didn't know about Maria but Remy was having a pretty good time.

It wasn't like she wasn't used to this whole song and dance. Remy wasn't the kind of woman that you just walked up on like any other wrestler, even without a championship under her belt. More often than not it came down to a game of cat and mouse. Waiting for the right moment, trying to get them close enough to put away for at least a little bit. Remy knew that would almost definitely end up being the case right here.

But damn, Maria could move. The blonde was still shaking her head clear with how quickly that dropkick had come at her. Chick was lighter on her feet than she'd expected. Momentum was the greatest gift the Canadian powerhouse could give her right now and the Latina was clearly intent on showing her just how true that statement was as she leaped at the powerhouse from behind. That was a good strategy.

Problem was, Maria really needed to hit Remy Dadrane harder than that.

When she felt Maria's hands around her neck, Remy responded in kind almost immediately by wrapping her arms around Maria's chest and pulling her down. As they fell forward towards the ground Remy spun on her front foot and would use Maria's wayward momentum to smash her into the floor with a side slam.

It was clear from the onset that Maria had a clear advantage when it came to speed, and judging from Remy's reaction her dropkicks weren't nearly as bad as she had claimed earlier, seeing how it had her stunned! The luchadora was more than capable of backing up her talk when it came to working between the ropes, as she sailed up to hit her with the cutter.

But the moment her arms wrapped around the woman's neck, her opponent snatched her clean out of the air! The pair fell to the mat, with Remy adding a spin to it to put a little extra oomph into the emphatic side slam! The impact took her breath away, leaving her momentarily motionless before her back arched, screaming with the sudden intense pain that came with her nasty landing!

That was the thing about these fast chicks: they always thought they were the fastest. Or at least fast enough to get around Remy’s hulking frame. Maybe that would have been the case, say, she didn’t know, five or six years ago. Maria was treating her like any other loudmouth rookie. Hopefully she was rethinking that mistake while she was scraping herself off the floor.

Remy pushed herself up to her knees and looked down at her handiwork with a smirk. While she was able to shake off that shot to the back of the head, Remy wouldn't be pulling any other crazy maneuvers for a minute or two. Not like she needed anything fancy, unlike Maria here.

"Like I said. Shit form." Remy snickered down at the woman as she rolled the Latina over. She slapped her firm on the ass before the Canadian propped Maria up into a sitting position and grabbed both of her arms from behind. The powerhouse would dig her knee into her back as she pulled back on both of Maria's arms, straining the pain in the Mexican wrestler's back along with the length of her spine.

"Fix your damn posture!"

Maria arched her back, groaning softly as the pair lay side by side for a moment. Ok....once again the veteran fell to the slams of a powerhouse. It seemed every big woman was trying to take her down ever since she showed up in AFW. It was REALLY starting to get on her nerves, especially with Remy raining down disrespect on her every other second.

She felt a firm shove at her side, rolling onto her stomach just so her opponent could aim a slap onto her ass, earning an undignified yelp from the masked luchadora! One tug brought Maria into a sitting position, her arms firmly being snagged and pulled behind her as a knee pressed into her spine, slowly stretching her body out in the middle of the ring! The pro grimaced under her mask, boots pushing at the canvas as she tried to break free, "Nnngh.....fix your damn holds....." she growled right back, "Or stick to slams....cause your submission game sucks...."

Oh was that right? That was some big talk from the Mamacita with her ass on the floor and not getting out anytime soon.

Remy was the last woman in the room to call Maria out on her posturing though. She could admire the guts on this woman, showing the kind of stuff it would take to stand in the ring with someone almost twice her size without batting an eyelash. That was the kind of fire she was looking for out of AFW. Whether the Mexican contender could live up to that yarn she was spinning, they’d just have to see. She was showing stamina but that would catch up to her eventually. It always did.

Remy leaned forward and looped her arms underneath the Latina’s and brought her to her feet with a full nelson lock from behind. They wouldn’t be upright for long before Remy would throw herself backward and slip her arms free at the last moment, sending Maria flying back to the floor with a release full nelson suplex.

Maria had a bad history with larger foes. Given her build and stature, Maria enjoyed plenty of success in her career in Mexico. The average build for luchadoras didn't vary that far from her own, valuing striking power and speed over sheer strength. Though in no way did it devalue the sheer spectacle of her Lucha Libre style.

Where the drawbacks became painfully obvious was whenever foreign opponents decided to wade their way into Central America and challenge the world of Masks and Flight with sheer power and muscle. Maria was sadly a casualty of this in a exhibition match, falling in a grueling match that saw many of her efforts shrugged off and her body brutally slammed over and over until the pin was counted.

Needless to say the Luchadora had quite the massive chip on her shoulder whenever facing a powerhouse or heavyweight. This desire to prove that despite her smaller stature and lack of power, she could still rise as a worthy champion, something she proved in Mexico in grabbing the Aztec Championship.

Groaning as her career flashed before her eyes, Maria felt the massive arms loop under her own in a full nelson, before a hard yank slammed the veteran on her upper back in a full nelson suplex! Her body bounced once, rolling back to hit the ropes where the poor woman staggered for a moment, as the pain just seeped into her bones. Eyes snapping wide, she bared her teeth, ready to meet Remy on the rebound with a rising knee to the jaw!

Remy believed she had Maria in a pretty tough spot. Escaping the Canadian's full nelson wasn't going to be possible with someone that had a build as thin as hers. If Barnhouse Bessie couldn’t find a way to slip away from Remy, the Aztec Champion had no chance. She was eating this suplex.

That might have explained that self-satisfied smirk on her face when she planted the Latina backfirst. Good follow-through, nice torque. It was one of her better finishes. Remy expected to turn around and see But when she spun around and got up to two feet, the only thing greeting her was a kiss on the jaw from the luchadora's rising knee.

It hit like a flashbang, knocking the Canadian's head straight up to face the ceiling and leaving her backpedaling on stumbling feet. She reached out a hand and stopped herself an inch from the ropes. Remy brought her other palm over her throbbing jaw. It was the best she could do to keep her head from wobbling off her shoulders. "Sonuva bitch."