The Road to Summer Splash: Angel sends a message to Akashi!

The lights in the AFW arena would dim, and a spotlight would appear atop the entrance ramp, shining down on Angel as she made her appearance. Her music would explode over the speakers, the slender latina wearing a wide grin on her face, turning slowly under the light before making her way down the ramp towards the ring. She was in high spirits tonight, her recent victory against TIffany Lawrence still fresh on her...and the audience's...minds as she climbed the steps to the ring, slipping into it and heading to the center of the mat. The spotlight would shine on her a moment more, then it would cut out, her music fading as Angel looked out over the cheering fans, raising a microphone to her lips.

"What did I tell you guys, eh? Rank three!"

At these words, the crowd would burst into louder cheers, Angel's own fans especially climbing to their feet and screaming excitedly at her. She basked in this praise a moment, then raised a hand to silence them.

"Tiffany was good, she was damn good. Too bad she wasn't good enough, huh?" She grinned again, cocking a hand onto her hip, shaking her head a bit. "Two more people to beat then, I guess. Just two people higher than me..."

She paused, letting those words sink in a moment before speaking again.

"Or it WOULD be two people, except I just found out I'm getting a title match at Summer Splash!"

Again, her fans leapt to their feet, cheering quite loudly at Angel's announcement. Again she would motion for them to quiet down before continuing.

"Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to giving Kirin a beatdown on my way to our champion, but whatever. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth you know, and hey...maybe I'll be nice and give her a shot once I win at the pay-per-view, huh?" She laughed a bit, her typical cocky, overconfident attitude showing in full with those words.

"Anyway, the main reason I'm out here is to send a little warning to our current champion. What was her name...Akashi something or another?" She paused again, purring briefly into the microphone, a thoughtful look on her face. "Akashi....Akashi....well, it doesn't matter what your last name is, chica. After all, once I beat you in two weeks and claim my title? We'll see who's name it is people are remembering. Better enjoy your run as champion while you still can..."

Angel then stopped, the playful tone leaving her voice as a serious look formed across her face.

"...because I am NOT missing this opportunity! The only possible outcome for this match is YOU tied up in one of my holds, screaming for mercy as I force you to submit, got it?" With a cold glare she then dropped her mic, looking up towards the ramp as she went to slip from the ring, her fans cheering for her again as she began to make her exit from the arena.

Just as Angel was about to leave, the twang of the Samisen rang out as the friction champ made her wait out of the backstage area with a microphone in one hand. She was clad in her trademark leopard spotted mawashi but she wore no top and around her waist was a huge knotted rope with zig-zagged strips of paper hanging off of it. She had a wide grin.

She had a bright smile on her face as she bowed to Angel. She then lifted her microphone up. "Angel-san." She began. "I am excited to have you as my opponent in my first real title defense. Unfortunately, I plan on keeping this title a long time! I will show you the true might of a sumo, and everyone here! On the grandest stage of all!" She waved her other hand out in a sweeping motion.

"But... we shouldn't waste the opportunity given to us by the league. I've heard this pay-per-view is going to embrace everything that is exciting and great about the hot summer months. Festivities and fun and all sorts of really cool matches. Honestly, I'm a little jealous for the other wrestlers. Yes, I get to defend my title against a strong opponent, but while everyone is enjoying the sand and surf, we're cooped up in the ring. So I've decided the terms of our match and I'm making it a Falls Count Anywhere Match! That way even when we're fighting we can enjoy a little bit of the atmosphere."

Akashi then grinned at Angel. "And when I slam you down into that sandy beach, it won't hurt quite as bad. I'd hate to leave you so bruised and battered that we couldn't fight again." She said with a wink at the challenger. "What do yo say to that, Angel-san?

Angel stopped halfway up the ramp, her grin coming back across her face. She didn't expect to see Akashi make an appearance, but was actually kind of glad about it. She had wanted to see the woman she would be facing in person before the match, give her a chance to size her up, and now that she had it...well, she realized she was going to have a challenging match ahead of her.

Nevertheless, Angel remained confident, quickly motioning for another mic to be brought to her, which she quickly raised to her lips. Her words would be simple, as she gave a wink back to Akashi. "What do I say that, chica? I say that when I have you lying in the sand, these perfect legs of mine wrapped around you, crushing you slowly...well, I'll try to go easy on you so you'll be in good shape for a rematch later!!"