AJ Shay vs. Blossom Fields - First Time For Everything

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or KO

‘The Match Of The Bottom Dwellers’. Blossom wasn’t a big fan of that.

She found herself staring at those words as she watched a TV screen in the gorilla position, seeing her name and her opponent’s up on the screen with that little scrawl underneath it. It was kind of a weird thing to hype a match on, a battle between two wrestlers who’d never won a match - well, that wasn’t strictly true, Blossom did win her first match in the company, against this punk girl in shorts whose name she couldn’t recall for the life of her, but she wasn’t even convinced that opponent had any training, and it was so long ago that it hardly mattered. Since then, she hadn’t won a match, not a single one.

She’d gone through some major changes in her life. Retired for a while, became the gym’s caretaker, got back into wrestling, got into a relationship with her longtime crush, all fun stuff. But that one win eluded her, this niggling itch that she couldn't scratch. She had some close calls, matches that were on the cusp of going her way, but victory was always out of reach.

It could be disheartening, but there was something about seeing AJ Shay that helped a bit, knowing that someone else was in the same boat. At the same time, she kind of hated that her winning here would mean AJ’s streak would continue - if she had her druthers, she’d been taking on someone else, but this was the hook management wanted.

As the screen faded and the backstage manager waved her on, Blossom took a deep breath and stepped forward, passing through the curtain.

With a smile and a skip, Blossom made her way to the ring, waving to the fans as she went...what fans there were. This match wasn’t airing on the main Friction program, it was an ‘AFW Exclusive’, something for the online viewers. Really, it was just a match for the early arrivals to watch before the main show started, not quite a dark match but not in the light, either. Another fact that she was trying hard to keep from bugging her.

She was ready for this either way, staying focused. She rolled into the ring, popped to her feet, and did a quick lap around the ring while she waved, doing her best to get the crowd hyped as she waited for AJ to make her appearance.

The months had gone by and unsurprisingly her absence in the locker room had gone mostly unnoticed. Perhaps it was for the best, with so many unfamiliar faces giving her side eyed looks and a few even asking her if she was lost backstage, she had avoided most of the ribbed that had contributed to her nearly having thrown in the towel for good. Just a few days ago she had felt so ready to be back, but the butterflies in her stomach had become a raging tempest, threatening to burst out at any moment. A good twenty minutes were spent hunched over a toilet, just in case something were to come of it… but nothing did. Just nerves.

Now she had on the locker room bench, waiting and staring at her closed locker. A few old stickers worn by time and clumsy passerby’s belongings accidentally scraping them. Some dark spots left by grit building up on sticky residue left behind by nasty notes some of the meaner girls in the back had left there. She hadn’t kept any of the drawings or snide sarcastic messages of mocking encouragement. There was also still a spot where the blue paint on the face of the door was significantly lighter from where she had scrubbed permanent marker messages off of it. Painful reminders of just how unwelcoming some of the people here had been. Unlike some of the other girls in similar situations to her, they had push power or friends that had called for the harassment to stop. Up until recently, she had been alone back here which was something others were quick to remind her of.

It felt strange to be back, inhabiting her ring gear like a stranger. It all hugged a bit too close, itched a bit too. It was mostly in her mind, having become accustomed to the armor of layers and baggy clothes she generally walked around in. Only at the gym or home could she feel truly comfortable with herself and that was mostly thanks to her mentor Black Fang and her best friend Ryoko’s tireless support. She glanced down at the phone in her hand, her friend's number pulled up but undialed. She hadn’t mentioned the match tonight. She didn’t want Ryoko to see her potentially lose again like with Spider. She had come to terms with her past failures, it was part of wrestling… but Spider? She still saw the woman in the shadows, still woke up sweating at the sound of her cackling. The former Wrestle Angel had become her personal boogieman. She wanted so badly to see her again, stand up to her, but the truth was she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The woman had taken a part of her that night whether she knew it or not and almost all of Alexa’s doubts flowed from that open wound.

She turned the phone sideways, giving the screen a small tap to begin quietly typing with her thumbs. A simple message, just something she felt she needed to say if she was doing her best from the disservice of hiding her match tonight from her.

Thanks for being my friend. Lets hang out again soon.

She swiped away after sending it and turned the screen off, not wanting to guilt herself into saying anything else. She already had drawn unnecessary attention to something being off by sending a message so ominous and random. Leaning forward she opened her locker and dropped her phone inside. She shouldn’t linger here anymore. A few stretches and a light jog through the halls to get her blood flowing before the big return.

Theme:

Alexa moved through the long black curtains, stepping out onto the familiar stage. Eyes forward, trying not to concern herself with all the eyes staring at her from the stands. It was likely most didn’t know or had forgotten her. She hoped for that, a fresh start, prayed that their lasting memory wasn’t her lowest point. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and bobbed her head gently to the music… waiting for her queue.

As the music picked up to the chorus, she threw up an arm, pumping it to the two-syllable breakdown of the word "action" within the lyrics. Her eyes snapped open, walking forward to make her way down the ramp. Her smile was light, forced, trying not to look like she was rushing as she moved towards the ring. Just don’t trip. Don’t make eye contact. Head up.

She moved around the ring, pausing at the steel steps to crouch down, making sure her kick pads were snug enough one last time. They had been a newer addition to her gear ever since her match with Suzumi so they felt slightly out of place even back then. Content, she took the steps two at a time in hopping strides and climbed up onto the apron, easing herself into the ring. Her eyes fixed on Blossom, slightly taken aback by how the girl seemed to be smaller than her, something she wasn't really used to in Friction. Alexa gave the other girl a small respectful nod, not feeling especially chatty at the moment. The nerves again mostly, not wanting to say or do anything to make a fool of herself if it could be avoided.

Blossom didn’t know much about AJ Shay, but right off the bat, she could tell one thing about the woman - she had good taste in music.

”Dominos falling...riot in the street…” She bounced along to the music a bit in spite of herself, too much a fan of 80s music - and the Hoff, in particular - to really care how silly it might’ve looked. It brought her back to her early days in the AFW, when she’d come out dancing to ‘Rock The Casbah’, a song that had 100% nothing to with wrestling or fighting or anything, but she’d wanted just because she liked the song. She’d eventually moved away from it, wanting something more traditional, but she had to admire her for sticking to her guns.

At first glance, Blossom didn’t see a whole lot behind AJ Shay. She seemed like a regular enough looking wrestler. Standard outfit, nothing too crazy, no real gimmick that she could see. She wasn’t any different than dozens of women waiting backstage, the ones Blossom passed everyday without batting an eye. It would’ve been easy to write her off on that alone.

But there was more here. The way she walked, that focused look in her eyes, but more than a little fidgety, like a millions thoughts were racing around in her mind. Blossom had been here before, knew this kind of nervousness well. It was a pressure they both had, but only one of them could get relief tonight.

Most times she was okay with being chatty in a match, maybe even being too chatty, but she could see that AJ wasn’t in the mood for that, so she kept it quiet for now. She returned the nod, quick and respectful, and made her way to the center of the ring as the referee got into position. Without delay, she dropped down into her classic wrestling stance, right out of high school, keeping herself low and her eyes locked on AJ.

One. Two. Three. Go.

Blossom took a quick step forward, brought her arm out as if she were going for AJ’s leg, then backed off at the last second, moving out of range and circling. A fake out, a quick one, as she tried to get a good grip on what her opponent had to offer.

Alexa tapped the toe of a boot to the canvas, going through a brief ritual of making it look like she was doing something of a year check when in actuality it was just keeping busy. This had become a habit along with other things such as adjusting the waist of her ring tights or fiddling with her gloves. Outside of the ring this normally manifested in chewing on things. Straws, coffee stirrers, bits of her hair… anything really. It was something she just did without really thinking about it, but when Blossom stepped forward and leaned into a familiar low stance she hadn't seen in ages, it gave her a momentary pause as if trying to make sense of a UFO soaring in the distance.

While she had seemed somewhat distant, mostly going through the motions at this point, her eyes lit up and stance straightened. While there had been a general respectful air between them from the start, it was fleet the young rookie now had taken a real interest in her opponent. She found herself really wishing she didn't have these bulky boots and kick pads on now, wondering just how well she would have fit into one of her old singlets from back in high school. With a bright, genuine smile plastered on her face, Alexa stepped up and stopped forward, leaning low, arms loose and at the ready. It was a nostalgic kick to her backside going back to her roots, something she had for whatever reason been avoiding for so long. Was it not flashy enough, entertaining enough? Possibly.

While she hadn't been prepared for this turn of events in the least, she was so ready for it… oh shit! Maybe not so ready as Blossom came in quickly. Alexa circled away to the side with a fumbled step, throwing a arm out to swat at the prodding grapple. Had her opponent actually committed to a real takedown there, she might have been in trouble. With a soft sigh of relief, she continued to circle opposite the other woman, a small spring in her hopping steps. Inching in… backing out. Arms up… down again. It felt like old time again, that boiling rush in her blood as her heart pounded. They hadn't even gotten started yet and she was already feeling juiced up and determined. No feigns from her, she came in fast and high, not opting for a leg but instead trying to grab for Blossom's head, trying to get a grip and yank her face towards the mat to try and establish some control.

Blossom’s eyes widened - more than they were by default - when she took in her opponent’s stance, looking it over, really digesting it. She was about to ask if AJ had done any amatuer wrestling, but she shut her lips tight now, didn’t need to. Her stance told the tale well enough, without an ounce of ambiguity. She’d seen wrestlers who tried to emulate the pose with varying levels of success. Sometimes they went too low, other times the spacing was off, some of them couldn’t keep it right as they moved, or they let their arms dangle. AJ Shay’s stance was almost a mirror image of her own, the kind her old coach would’ve been happy to see. No flaws, here.

It put her in a time warp, but not enough to make her lose the moment. She was still here, still focused, and she brought that intensity out as she moved forward and reached out, going for her opponent’s leg. It didn’t work, AJ was a little too fast, her instincts were too good. But it gave Blossom an idea of what she was working against here.

AJ was on guard now, fully awake, and the two of them kept their distance for a moment. Blossom took a few cautious steps forward, inching into AJ’s range, seeing how close she could get with each step, but neither of them were committing to a charge. Around and around and around and-

AJ broke the cycle, coming in strong and tying up, locking horns. It was a good push, and Blossom was forced back three whole steps before she slammed her feet down and put an end to it. Her full power came out now as she fought the attempts to keep her down, back muscles tensing up, leg muscles surging. She took a deep breath and dedicated herself to the push, surging hard into her opponent to gain back the distance she’d lost and maybe make some new ground.

”Where’d you…” She muttered through a grunt. ”Where’d you wrestle?”

Blossom's reaction to mirroring her stance was priceless. While she had found herself smiling before, that alone was enough to turn it into a giddy grin. It was something she wouldn't have even considered possible for her in the ring these days, so beaten down by her failings and stress she never had the time to take away pure excitement from her bouts while mired in competition. It made her feel nostalgic, not just for her old wrestling days, but when she stunned her current mentor with her surprise debut as a crazy scientist. You couldn't face reactions like these and it was something she no doubt savored.

Surging forward she met success, managing to get a good hold of Blossom, drying her back along the mat to the sounds of squeaky shuffling on the canvas. She expected to circle and struggle but when the smaller woman brought them to a dead stop, it was slightly alarming. She could feel the tension in her body, the raw power that made her a solid rock… it was clear to Alexa just on the feel of this grapple that while she may have had size on her opponent, Blossom was worlds stronger than her with raw muscle. It was a realization that any other time may have frightened her… but maybe it was her training or being face to face with someone who wrestled a style she had long since abandoned, but she found herself eager for the challenge.

Alexa planted her boots, reaffirming her grip behind Blossom's head, trying to keep busy and proactive while the two were deadlocked. When her opponent made a push forward, Alexa tried to hold ground but found her heels dragging, then risked being toppled. Rather than fight the motion, she freely backpedaled for a few bounding steps before jerking roughly to the side, quickly shuffling around to circle away from the ropes while tugging down at Blossom's head again, trying to keep a degree of control where she could since overpowering her traditionally was unlikely. Instead she tried to use her height, however small of an advantage it was to leverage the situation, trying to shove the other girl a bit lower, enough to unclasp a hand to hook it around her neck, trying to cinch in a headlock to even them out a bit.

"Boston, did well up to State, never went ergh…" She gave another hard crank, circling again as she threw on more weight, trying to drag Blossom down to the mat. The headlock was only temporary, trying to force her opponent flat to return back to traditional Greco Roman groundwork. "Never went national. Was pretty okay though… you?" When she spoke she did so between breaths, making sure to keep herself from accidently winding herself just to converse while both women struggled for control.

Blossom wasn’t one for cocky smiles, but she couldn’t resist a quick one when she ground AJ’s momentum to a halt. It had been a while, maybe too long, since she’d been in this position, taking her back to her high school days. She’d always enjoyed an early advantage in her matches, when her male opponents underestimated her strength from the start and came at her too soft. It always took them a good half minute or so before they came to terms with the fact that the little girl they were up against was just as strong, if not stronger than her, and she’d put in a lot of hard work to get that reaction. No shame in being proud of it.

It had gotten her through some tough matches before, and while she hadn’t won all of them, it was a neat little advantage to have. Of course, it only worked with an opponent who wasn’t quite to accept what was going on. AJ might’ve been a little smarter than that.

Instead of fighting Blossom’s push, AJ let it happen, even helped her along, and used that momentum to whip them around and away from the ropes. It was a motion that made her drop to one knee, but she was quick to push up and keep up with her opponent, having a quick laugh along the way. The headlock stopped it from being more than that, though, as they continued to vy for position, tracing each other's steps along the canvas.

”Conshohocken. Little town in PA.” She had a hard grunt as AJ pushed her down, trying to get her low while she stayed on top. It was enough to bring Blossom down to a knee once more, but she wasn’t giving more ground than that. ”About the same as you, really, I just...er, one sec.”

First step was getting her head free, and while she could’ve done that in a few ways - say, just punching her way out - Blossom was content to stick to pure grappling for as long as they could get away with. Instead, she tried to push her head free with a hard shove, and reached down to grasp her opponent’s leg, trying to draw it in tight and get over her.