SS22 Silver Ace vs. Bashira Matsumoto

Match Type: Standard Match
Win Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, Knockout.

Texas. Summer Splash in America. Funny, Silver Ace's first ever Summer Splash had also been on PPV, a tag team match teaming her up with her love, Valley Doll, in a losing effort against another team. That was the last time her and Val and teamed up too. Damn. The years really had flown by, hadn't they?

The 28 year old Canadian had been thinking quite a lot about her career as of late. All the miles, the trials, the tribulations. The successes, the highs, the lows. The friends she'd made and lost. To call it a hell of a ride was certainly saying something. It even felt like an entirely different AFW since the last time she had wrestled in America. Most of the wrestlers she knew and had come up with fighting against were gone. Blossom. Miss America. Taylor Parker, Akashi, Her surrogate big sister Angel. Cassie Sato, Cecilia Northman, Yatori Shizuku, Heather Mason, Chigusa Yuuki, even Adrian Kytes had recently ceased active competition. Even the Four Horsewoman of AFW weren't all together anymore, with Valley Doll being in California now.

Sure, they talked over Zoom and texted constantly...but it just wasn't the same. and as if she hadn't been feeling strange enough about her career, she found herself getting interrupted and disrespected in a promo by...a fired up new talent, one who was building a reputation, and clearly wanted to challenge one of the higher ranked fighters on the roster as a way to build her name, much like Ace had back when she was just 20, the bulky woman reminding Ace of the time she challenged former World Champion Akashi right out of the blue. The balls on her.

Did that mean she was a veteran now? Was she getting...old?

Gah. Thoughts for later.

So, she had accepted the match, immediately, of course. No sense letting a good challenge go to waste, and Ace had zero intention of letting the new bloods around the locker room think she was easy pickings. No way.

So there she was, backstage in Texas, applying her war-paint and making sure her outfit was properly laced up. She got the note that she only had minutes before her entrance, sent Valley a quick text promising to call her after she got home and showered off, and put her jacket and mask on, looking at herself in the mirror.

Once again...it was Showtime.

Silver Ace Ring Gear:

Finally, the lights would dim in the arena, the Texas crowd firing up as they realizied who was coming out next when Ace's triangle symbol appeared on the screen, and her theme began to play. The masked woman came out onto the stage, overlooking the massive crowd in the arena, easily one of the biggest she had ever performed in front of, and bounced on the balls of her feet, shadow boxing repeatedly before raising her hands up, her hands making her now signature "A" symbol with her fingers before making her way down the ramp.

Getting to the ring, she slid under the ropes, standing up and climbing the turnbuckle, she'd take her mask off, putting the forehead of it against her own and closing her eyes, whispering her now standard prayer for her mentor to watch over her match and not find her lacking, kissing the mask before holding it up for all to see. Hopping down, she removed her jacket, handing both to the time keeper before moving to her corner, hopping back and forth and stretching as she awaited her opponent.

Regardless of everything else rushing through her brain, one this was clear. This was going to be a hell of a fight. Bashira wanted her to retire, to add her name to the list of all those that have come before, and were gone now. Tonight, she proved to Bashira and everyone else that the Silver Ace wasn't going anywhere.

"Alright...Pyro's ready?...Security's positioned?...Champagne's on ice?...Media in position for the post match victory speech?...Beautiful."

Johnny Atlas:

Johnny Atlas ended his cell phone call to the backstage supervisor and continued strolling towards a certain private locker-room. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, Johnny hoped that Silver Ace wasn't taking any of his managerial machinations personally. The swarthy gentleman and talent manager for Bashira Matsumoto merely felt it was his obligation as the appointed representative/handler of his massively rotund client to afford her golden opportunities to showcase her wrestling expertise. To shine as luminous a spotlight he can acquire upon this savage athlete of his, fostering a ravenous hunger to start ascending upward within the ranks of this vaunted wrestling organization which he felt was vastly under-utilizing this ursine sized diamond in the rough. Silver Ace just happened to be the poor unlucky schlub who fit the bill for his specific purposes. An acclaimed AFW veteran with legions of fans and a storied history, without plans for Summer Splash, and whose star power alone would make for top tier exposure for Bashira once her name was placed beside Ace's on the match card for one of the wrestling world's most prestigious events of the year.

*Ohhhh baby...the payday one this one sole venture is going to net me the fattest freakin paycheck of my-...wait, have to finish this thought another day. It's showtime~...*

On his way towards Bashira's private quarters, Johnny would waltz by two rows of appointed security guards in all black clothing save for the title of Event Staff written on their shirts. Camera's now filming as per his explicit design for cinematic flair with Bashira's theme starting to play. Johnny emphatically banging his fist on his client's door, with the Bear-Woman herself yanking it out of the way to begin a determined march towards the Gorilla position. The security guards flanking her on both sides with a white towel draped over her head, Johnny following right behind her as everyone marched through the emptied hallways with the barbaric prize fighter. Dwarfing all of the other guards in size and weight in an ominous depiction of Ace's forthcoming challenger. Bashira cracking her neck to the side with a few feral snarls until finally reaching the entrance way towards the top of the ramp. The event staff staying behind until it was only Bashira and her orange-haired advocate a few feet behind her proceeding forward. The billowing black curtain being swiped to the side by the rotund bear woman with her heavy metal theme song still being played. A few seconds spent idly standing on the top of the stage, before snatching off her towel off alongside a bellowing roar with fireworks skyrocketing upward in perfect sync.

Bashira:

The customary saying about everything being bigger in Texas remaining prevalent today as the brawling behemoth began stalking down the elongated ramp way. Pony-tail swaying behind her, spitting to the side with her singlet stretched tightly around her corpulent musculature as she spared a momentary glance towards the side at the raucous audience. The fact that people who lassoed bulls for a living and drove massive SUV's everywhere were nevertheless taken aback by the sheer girth and ornery complexion of the challenger perhaps said everything that needed to be said. Johnny Atlas waltzing off to the side as the duo reached ringside, casually walking around the perimeter as Bashira stomped up the steel steps. Shimmying through the ropes and climbing the corner turnbuckle, scanning over the horizon of the sold out arena with cell phone cameras sparkling all around. Bashira stamping back down to a slight reverberation on the ring canvas and all attention centered on her silver haired prey for the night. The thrash metal dying down with the referee calling both grapplers to the center of the ring, Bashira obliging with a scowl to her face...

Woah.

As they said in Texas "...Big Hoss"

In fact...yeah, no doubt about it, this opponent was easily the biggest bull of an opponent she had ever faced before in the ring. It made thinking of strategy very...very...difficult.

As the referee checked that they were both ready, Ace finished stretching and walked up to the center of the ring, meeting Bashira in the middle of the ring, looking up at her without any fear, full of the same bravado that had characterized her career path over the years as the two women stared each other down, before Ace spoke.

"I get it. Your new, you want to make your mark. But if you think you can piggyback off of my name to build your own legacy, it's going to be a lot harder to pull that off than you or your weird manager are expecting."

Once the bell rang, Ace would immediately go on the attack, and given what she was up against, she decided to make her first move the hardest opening blow she could, immediately turning her body, sidestepping towards Bashira and kicking one leg up as high as she could, trying to start things off with a powerful Super-Kick to Bashira's chin!

Hackneyed though the comparison was, David and Goliath allusions could already be overheard from ringside announcers once the two competitors were enacting the ritualistic staredown in the middle of the ring. The mammoth differences between them taking center stage with each side obviously needing to play to their innate strengths to reign victorious on such a vaunted platform in the wrestling industry. Although while Johnny was practically fidgeting from the overflow of anxious energy he was contending with, Bashira spoke not one syllable and remained nonplussed throughout Ace's pre-match banter.

"..." An uncharacteristic showcasing of restraint from the typically loquacious Bear Woman, especially in regards to derogatory trash-talking. An inhaled snort through one nostril and apathetic glance directed towards Silver Ace could perhaps be taken as disrespect in itself, although the striking connection of Ace's superkick against her joweled chin certainly cracked Bashira's facade right quick. Floundering backward with a waving rotation of her arms, Bashira fortunately slumped back against the ring ropes behind her suffering from her ears ringing, but rebounding immediately into a bellowing shoulder check.

Ace's Super Kick was known as one of the strongest, most effective, super kicks in AFW, with only the likes of Valley Doll's or Angels being considered on the same level, and the feeling of utter satisfaction that Ace felt from landing the kick right on Bashira's jowls was so apparent that the entire crowd could see it, cheering in approval at Ace's opening attack...

...only to watch in shock as Bashira rebounded off the ropes and immediately came back, slamming her much heavier body into the smaller Canadian woman's, with a shoulder block...damn near launching Ace several feet back and knocking the woman off her feet, to the shock of everyone watching.

In fairness to Ace, she was almost immediately able to roll over and get back to her feet...but once the camera showed her painted face on the titantron...it was clear that David had gotten a taste of Goliaths power...and Ace was starting to wish she had a sling with her, as she got up to her feet, trying to recover before Bashira went on the attack again!

Gobsmacked astonishment was shared beyond the recently airborne Canadian as audience members by and large remained uncomfortably silent after witnessing one of the best superkicks in the business fail to secure what would have been an automatic victory against over three quarters of the locker-room backstage. Bashira nursing her clobbered jaw afterward at least gave credence to the fact that the Bear-Woman was indeed reeling after the brazen opening gambit, but it was a moment's reprieve at best as Bashira warbled her head around to solidify her nebulous vision. Bash than centering her beady eye glare on the face-painted cannuck.

"...If you acknowledge any gods...you'd best start prayin' to them..." Bashira viciously snarled before starting to encroach upon the soon to be deadmeat with stamping feet and within her own widened MMA stance. Arms extended to her sides to make herself appear even more ominous and threatening that she somehow already appeared, although once within a few feet of her adversary would stampede forward full bore with her hands aimed at clutching Ace's neck. The voracious beast of a woman attempting to bullrush Ace with her massive mitts, whereupon the Canadian heroine would take to the sky once again in a hefting Beil Throw clear across the ring.

Well then...so that was the level of power Ace was dealing with then...that...meant this match was going to fucking suck for her.

As if to prove her correct, by the time she was able to get back to her feet, the face painted woman turned to face her opponent...just in time to have Bashira grab her around her neck with her two meaty paws, the Canadian warrior grabbing at those large wrists and kicking at Bashira's leg in a futile attempt to drive her off.

"Let go of me you gia-FUUUCK!" Ace cut herself off with a scream, as with a mighty heave, she was lifted off her feet and literally flung the facepainted warriors body halfway across the ring, her body crashing onto the mat and actually bouncing back up before landing again, the momentum causing her to roll the final foot and fall out of the ring itself to the padded concrete below, the crowd reacting in shock and horror at just how easily the Ace of AFW was being manhandled!

Non-believers were certainly finding religion today. Whether it was those unable to comprehend the degree of overwhelming strength Bashira had amassed underneath her obese tank of a frame, or wrestling fans who didn't believe that a silver-haired grappler could fly. The high-flying Canuck garnering several timed seconds of solid airtime before she touched down like a rocket plummeting from orbit and splashing outside of the ring...right at the feet of a rather dapper manager. The Bear-Woman taking her sweet time in approaching her catapulted foe, providing ample gloating time for Mr. Atlas.

"Lookin pretty hot in there, Silvy baby. Beautiful performance, you really got 'er on the ropes now. Just curious though, starting to regret any life decisions yet?" Johnny queried with his gloved hands balanced on his cane, humiliating Ace moreso by using his cane to poke and prod at the Canadian's curvaceous backside throughout his condescending commentary. The suave conman backpedaling once Bashira started ambling outside of the ring, hauling Ace up by her silver locks and sprinting forward to squash Silver between her gluttonous gut and the ring apron. Bash mercifully stepping back afterwards.

This was...NOT...going very well, Ace had concluded in her brain. Bashira had so far managed to completely shake off one of Ace's best moves, notably the only thing she had actually hit so far in the entire match, and now she had been tossed around not once, but twice and now she was outside the ring, some loud mouth near her wasn't shutting the hell up and what was touching her butt!?

Before Ace could so much as start to think of how to deal with any of these issues, her stumbling attempts to get back up to her feet were cut off by her bear-sized opponent, who helped the Canuck back to her feet...before, with a gasp from Silver's lips, she was driven back into the ring apron, the hard edge of the ring, the hardest part of the ring some would say, stabbing right into the lower back of the former champion, her body briefly being squished by a ring edge on one side, and a large plushy body on the other, before Bashira backed away and Ace fell to one knee, one arm grabbing at her lower back in pain.

No...this was not going very good for Ace at all. Maybe...this hadn't been her smartest challenge...