[ICW/ICWA Title Match] Charlotte Ravel' vs Adrian Kytes (C) - Something changes, something remains the same

Keeping up the pace after Adrian's tough attacks was very problematic. Charlotte felt pain in her right leg almost constantly and the fact that she decided to act quickly did not help her recovery. However, at such moments it is important to remember that a sharp attack can be a surprise for the opponent. The Frenchwoman tried to use this tactic as much as possible and now was one of such cases.

The young woman was approaching her opponent, trying to focus on Adrian's movements. She had no right to make a mistake, because it would lead to sad consequences, given the condition of her leg. It may not have been an all in bet, but the risk was really great. Although there was no room for doubt in the Frenchwoman's heart right now, she was determined to take a risk. Adrian braced herself for her attack. But, apparently, the American woman did not expect that Charlotte would go to the trick that Adrian herself used not so long ago.

Dropping down, Charlotte began to slide on the mat, throwing both legs forward. And at the moment when her feet crashed into Adrian's ankle, the result met all her wildest expectations. She counted on the fact that this blow would make her opponent fall face down. But the former champion chose the wrong defense tactics and this led to the fact that she not only turned over in the air, but also collapsed on her back.

"Up," Charlotte's brain formed a simple and quick thought.

Now Charlotte was forced to look for options that would allow her to act effectively, but without straining her body too much. Her right leg still needed a little break, so there was no question of any powerful throw. Most likely, many fighters would have problems finding such options. But Charlotte had experience and fighting instincts on her side.

Jumping to her feet, she tried to maintain maximum speed after sliding. She needed it because there were ropes right in front of her. The Frenchwoman tried to direct as much force as possible into her legs. She was going to grab the top rope and then push off the mat. If someone had told her at the beginning of her AFW career that she would use aerial techniques, she would have grinned in that person's face. During her first matches, she used only punches and kicks, only occasionally using throws and other charms of pro wrestling. But she has changed. Ironically. She didn't call herself the Sand Lizard now. But it could only be called in one word. Evolution.

Charlotte intended to put her feet on the top rope and then use it as a springboard. Taking a deep breath, the young woman was about to push off from the rope, soaring into the air. Tilting her body back, she was going to do a back flip in order to get an extra impulse. Gravity had to do the rest, but in any case, Charlotte intended to collapse on her rival's chest with a springboard moonsault!

It was a funny thing in a way. When Charlotte first entered the AFW ring, she was ready to say as many times as she wanted that she would never use aerial techniques. Now those times seemed very far away to her. In her first matches, she concentrated on punches and kicks. She rarely used such things as throws and holds, only when the situation seemed most suitable to her.

But things are changing. The path of a real fighter implies constant development. And after Charlotte lost to her already former rival for the first time, she realized that she had to adapt. This concerned not only new techniques, but also a new way of thinking. Pro wrestling is not boxing, it's taekwondo, it's even not MMA. Here everything is connected into a single whole. The Frenchwoman did not realize this immediately. But when this truth was revealed to her, it was as if she had taken a step into a new world.

So now she used every opportunity. It was perfectly visible at the moment when, pushing off from the ropes, she soared into the air. Although, she couldn't deny that at some point her heart took a few extra beats. She saw that Adrian tried to lift her legs and she knew perfectly well what this could lead to. But, apparently, her opponent's muscles were not in the best condition right now, since the American woman eventually remained lying flat. And so it ended with Charlotte collapsing unhindered on the former champion.

It seems that this completely deprived Adrian of air, as she did not even cry out. But the arena was still filled with noise. The audience clearly welcomed such a dynamic match. No wonder, because it was they who wanted to see these two women in the same ring. As they say, some dreams come true.

Charlotte, breathing heavily, got up on one knee and looked at her rival. She still doubted that heavy throwing attacks were a good idea, because the Frenchwoman still felt pain in her right leg. But throwing wasn't the only thing she was capable of. So she made a decision.

“Let's see...” she muttered.

She was going to push Adrian in order to roll her onto her stomach. She hoped that her opponent was now sufficiently weakened and would not be able to resist, since Charlotte needed a few moments to prepare. The pink-haired woman was going to grab Adrian's right foot and put it on the back of the kneecap of her other leg.

Charlotte would put her foot between Adrian's legs in order to deprive her legs of movement. And then there was only a matter of technique. The Frenchwoman intended to lie on her opponent's back, pinning her to the mat with all her weight, and then wrap her right arm around the American woman's neck. Grabbing her right arm with her left hand, Charlotte would strain all the muscles in order to squeeze the neck of the former champion, as well as start pulling her upper body in the opposite direction. She had not used this hold for a long time, but she still remembered its effectiveness. It was her signature move, which she called a lizard's embrace!

With enough effort, but Charlotte started to get back into the game again. So far, it could hardly be said that she had managed to equalize their positions. However, the submission hold was supposed to fix that. She had lost too much strength after Adrian took away her advantage, and now the Frenchwoman was obliged to act more actively.

Her aerial attack became a good ground for the continuation of the offensive. She knew that a woman like Adrian could not be defeated without making every effort. And Charlotte suspected that this match would take much longer than she was used to. Therefore, her goal was quite simple. With the help of her signature submission hold, she was going to weaken the body of the American woman, thereby increasing the chances of success in the future.

It seemed that the plan was going as it should, because the Frenchwoman fixed Adrian's legs in such a way that she did not have the opportunity to use them freely. The matter remained small. Charlotte reached for her opponent's neck to lock the hold. It was at this moment she knew she fucked up. Adrian didn't let her finish what she started. The former champion grabbed her hand, and then abruptly rolled to the side, as a result of which Charlotte's shoulder blades were pressed against the mat.

"ONE! TWO!!"

Some things happen too fast. And that's why it was a real shock for Charlotte when she heard that the referee began to actively clap on the mat, because it was nothing else but a pin attempt. She was not one to panic easily. But this time a chill ran down her spine. After all, she was only one second away from defeat. The referee's hand began to descend for the third time.

Barely restraining herself from letting out a furious growl, Charlotte jerked her whole body in order to break the pin. Right now, she didn't care what happened next. The most important thing right now was to throw Adrian away and create some space between them. Now it seemed the surest way to avoid a ridiculous defeat.

Charlotte's heart was ready to leave her chest. Of course, this was not the first time when they tried to catch her with an unexpected pin, however, it is impossible to get used to such things. Yes, of course, during the fight, the Frenchwoman usually behaved coolly. But Adrian literally forced her to be one second away from defeat. Once in such a situation, it is very difficult to remain calm.

As soon as Charlotte jerked to the side, breaking her opponent's pin, the former champion did not heat up the events. Apparently, Adrian understood that the extra distance between them would benefit her. The pink-haired woman took a sitting position and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Endurance was not her best quality and it was unusual for Charlotte to work at such a high pace.

But, apparently, there was no question of slowing down the pace. Once in the corner near the ropes, Adrian almost immediately began to get to her feet. And this in turn meant that Charlotte needed to do the same. She could slow down a little and then they could both start a new round. However, the pink-haired woman did not want to give her rival the opportunity to come up with something far from the most noble again.

Therefore, gritting her teeth, Charlotte intended to push off from the mat and rush forward from a low start position. Since there was the corner behind Adrian, she had nowhere to retreat to. Charlotte wanted to use this and she had a plan that would allow her rival to cut off even more escape ways.

"Act fast!" the Frenchwoman mentally ordered herself.

She intended to put her left foot slightly to the right of her right foot, and then turn sharply to the right side. Waving her arms, Charlotte was going to create a powerful torque. Turning on her left leg, she intended to raise her right leg and make an arc. Since her opponent had nowhere to retreat to, she hoped that this spinning heel kick aimed at Adrian's head would allow her to regain the advantage she had lost after the failed submission hold.

It was definitely unexpected. Charlotte thought that she had managed to corner her rival literally. She assumed Adrian would try to block that kick. This option was more than satisfied for the Frenchwoman, because she knew that in this case the bones of the former champion would hardly thank her. However, she was not ready for the fact that the American woman would find another way out of this situation.

Instead of Adrian's head, Charlotte's heel found nothing but emptiness. Since the pink-haired woman had nowhere to transfer the momentum of the kick, her leg pulled her further, not allowing her to stop right away. Adrian turned out to be very agile, managing not only to dodge the kick, but also changing her position to a more advantageous one.

But even this was not the last thing that the former champion came up with. As soon as Charlotte finally lowered her attacking leg to the mat and turned to face Adrian, the brown-haired woman pulled her hands to Charlotte's head. Unable to react in time, Charlotte was unable to do anything at the moment when Adrian's hands closed on the back of her head. The Frenchwoman's eyes widened as the former champion pulled her head down.

"Guak!" Charlotte let out a strangled, painful groan.

This has never happened to her before, despite the abundance of various matches in her career. The rope pressed so hard into her neck that her muscles froze in a spasm. The tension force instantly threw Charlotte back, causing her to collapse onto the mat.

Clutching her neck with both hands, she kicked the mat several times because of the pain that filled her neck. She desperately wanted to cough, but she literally couldn't do it. It was as if her airways were blocked, because every time she tried to take a breath, oxygen refused to go down her neck.