One foot in the Grave (For Berial)

The moment that knee slapped into Remy's jaw, the Aztec Champion's body buckled a bit as the momentary burst of adrenaline seemed to wear off, with Maria stumbling into the corner as one hand clutched at her spine, now taking stock of the intense pain stabbing right in her spine and upper back!

Breathing heavily, she slowly pushed herself off, glaring daggers at Remy, "You...wanted the best....and I have...no intention of laying down.....not for you!" she spat, trying to work her warriors spirit back up as she aimed a hard kick to Remy's thigh!

Speed could make up for power and Maria was a prime example of just that. It had been quite a while since the Canadian had taken a solid hit to the face. It wasn’t something you could exactly practice on the regular. This was the best workout she could have asked for.

The pain throbbing against her jaw became newfound energy and gave way to a wide grin across her face brimming white with trademark intensity. Remy’s eyes found Maria again as she heard the Aztec champion’s proclamation. A gathering crowd of onlookers drawn into the wild energy at the center of the ring couldn’t take their eyes off of either of them, just as Remy couldn’t focus on anything other than the woman across from her.

As she went to lean forward into her stance, Maria rushed in and caught Remy on the thigh with a stiff kick that forced her to wobble down to one knee. You wouldn’t be able to tell that she was in pain from the chuckle Remy gave in response. "Nice! I like pipsqueaks like you!"

As Remy rose from the floor, she curled her fist and came back at Maria with a heavy uppercut, throwing a wild shot aimed for Latina’s jaw. “Get some!”

Maria's entire world was just pain right now. Despite endless times in her career clearly being at a disadvantage against women bigger than her, she believed she could turn the tables and topple the goliaths with enough skill and determination. Such thoughts were all well and good, but sheer strength often proved a nice reminder of how steep the climb to the top of the proverbial mountain would be.

Case in point, the low chuckle emanating from Remy's body, before a hard punch cracked her right in the jaw! Maria's head snapped upward, sending fresh sweat flying into the air in a fine mist! The poor veteran was almost out on her feet, stumbling into the ropes before they bounced her right back, legs quivering as her silver eyes shifted in and out of focus!

That was the punch that knocked Maria Roberts outcold for a solid minute in the middle of the ring and gave Remy Dadrane her free ticket into IWWF. That was the blow that made her famous.

Maria should have felt honored to be receiving in the middle of a simple spar. But that was the beauty of the AFW from Remy’s point of view. It was chalk full of the best of the best talent, which meant she could go all out all of the time. If she wanted to be better than yesterday, that was the kind of persistence you had to have. That was the kind of pressure the blonde powerhouse was expecting. The kind that she lived for.

Hell, Maria was still standing. The way she bounced off of the rope may have helped her in keeping upright but she wasn’t that far away from being put down for the three count. Remy met her with a smile as she stood back up, thinking of a next move worthy of the fightback Maria was giving her.

The Aztec Champion came rebounding back towards her and presented Remy with a golden opportunity. Remy gave her bicep one reaffirming smack before promptly spinning on the spot and throwing her arm forward. She shot her weight into the motion, giving her arm her entire power as she slammed her forearm straight into Maria’s face. “Maximum Lariat!”

The blow indeed had massive power behind it, as the Aztec Champion stumbled on the spot in the middle of the ring. One hand clutched at her head, legs quivering as she swayed to and fro on her unsteady feet. It took all her willpower to even maintain her footing NOW, let alone manage a counter.

Perhaps this was punishment....she thought herself as a living legend, a champion of lucha libre that had no equal in Mexico. But here in AFW, she had encountered women of almost mythical strength and spirit that seemed to bat her aside like a bothersome gnat. It almost shattered her confidence in her own abilities.

Her train of thought was cut off abruptly as her glazed over eyes focused briefly on the impressive, muscular bicep of Remy, before it slammed RIGHT into her face! The force flipped the veteran on the spot, her body slapping hard into the canvas, where she lay momentarily motionless.

Maria hit the floor with enough force to send a rattle to the posts to their foundation at each corner of the ring. Even beyond the safety of the ropes, the spectators gathering all across the gym felt the punch from Remy's lariat in one massive wave. It didn't take an expert to know that this was over. Although, that's not what that crazy grin on the Canadian Crusher's face was saying.

Remy fell to her knees, falling over Maria as she pressed their chests close together and planted an arm across the Aztec Champion's shoulders. Right away she started with the count that would signal the end of the bout and a simple score settled. But Remy would be lying if she'd said any of that was at the forefront of her mind right now.

The Canadian's eyes were locked onto her adversary's with a renewed intensity. She'd finally gotten a taste of the Latina's spirit. She watched and waited, knowing full well how determined Maria was to not let this be the end. Remy knew her opponent had the guts.

"ONE!"

Maria's entire vision was a blurry mess of colors by the time she was rolled over and pinned by Remy. Her cheek was pressed against canvas, and the distant echo of her foe's counting drifting in and out of the luchadora's dazed mind.

Elsa, meanwhile, pounded on the apron, her nerves plain to see through her worried expression. Maria was a desperate breath of fresh air for the jobbers of their household. To see her being picked apart was soul crushing.

But much to the shock of everyone around them, Maria threw all her energy into one kick out, throwing her shoulder up in one pure act of defiance against Remy's show of pure force!

What did she tell ya? One second Maria seemed down and out, the next she was up and raring to go again! That kind of determination was half the reason she had uprooted everything and crossed the Pacific to be here today. This raw talent, this tenacity. This kind of fire just wasn’t roaring anywhere else. Japan just somehow knew how to attract the right ones.

Remy was starting to like this woman. It wasn’t like she was going to let the Latina get off that easy though.

“Alright, nice one! Third-rate talent can't get up from that!” Remy stood up with a wide grin slashed across her face. Her hands reached down to pull the Latina up to her feet, however limply. “Let me see that endurance! Pump some iron!”

The Canadian powerhouse suddenly reached between Maria’s legs and hoisted her off of her feet. Remy would flip her opponent onto her shoulders, hooking her head with one hand and pulling down on Maria’s leg with the other. A few faces in the room recognized it as one of the blonde bruiser’s trademarks, her Argentine backbreaker: Grindstone.

It took almost everything she had to kick out of that pin. It seemed to be a curse whenever she was paired up against a stronger opponent who was in an entirely different weight class from her. She could hammer Remy with strikes, but all it took was one good slam or punch to the face to level her.

A soft groan slipped passed her lips, legs rubbery and quaking as she was dragged up to her feet, almost leaning onto her foe for support. One swift pull brought the luchadora up across Remy's shoulders, eyes staring up at the lights before the pressure came down on her vulnerable spine, and an audible crack could be heard as her spine popped, sending daggers of pain searing through her body! The pain made her momentarily pass out, arm hanging limp as they slipped from her struggles to free herself!

Maria was light as hell.

The Aztec Champion had a body custom-made for the high-flying style of wrestling and clearly, she got some mileage out of it. Remy saw the appeal in that way of wrestling, but she couldn't say she was much of a fan herself. Keeping her boots on the ground meant she never had to waver or sacrifice strength for the sake of flair or momentum. Remy was her own momentum. Her muscles and drive carried her through matches as surely as her skill and technique. Remy's matches came down to one simple rule: the stronger guy won.

A lightweight that stepped into a ring with her just had a whole lot of punishment to look forward to. Her opponent must have been feeling that right now. It didn’t shock Remy that Maria suddenly went limp on her the second she applied this hold. This was the move that won her the regional title back home. The Canadian was feeding her the kind of power that was made to break wrestlers twice the Latina’s size. The real question was whether she had what it took to survive the next part.

“Eat this! Maximum Crush!” The Canadian powerhouse leaped from her feet and fell backward. The curve of her spine made sure that Maria would hit the canvas first as the heavyweight drove all of her weight on top of her, driving her into the ground with a fallaway slam.