Beyond the Ropes
Chapter 1: Cut Short
A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back with yet another story. I know I really shouldn't keep doing this, but this plot bunny just kept eating at me, and I felt that I needed to get it out before I lost the thread of it again. As you all know, I'm a huge fan of professional wrestling, and I thought it would be cool to have my OC be a professional wrestler and work on the independent circuit rather than in the WWE. I've had her story in my head for a while, and I've finally settled on what I want to happen and how I want it to happen, so I hope to get chapters out as soon as I can, though I will be working between this and a few other stories I have on hold as well, so I'm not sure when I'm going to have chapters out. I hate to make promises and then break them. I know many people aren't fond of OCs in general. If you aren't, that's fine, and if you are, then I hope you enjoy this story as it comes out.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon Studios. I only own Audriana Gregorio and the plot of the story.
Summary: When Audriana Gregorio's wrestling career is cut short by the Purple Dragons, she feels that the only way to get back her purpose in life is to get even and get revenge, but will she get in over her head before the Turtles can get her out of it?
Audriana Gregorio sighed as she made her way to Murakami's noodle shop. It was time to go to work, and though she loved working with the blind chef, she sometimes hated the way customers would treat her. Still, it was the best job she could find since the only other job she had was as a wrestler, and that was only on the weekends. As she made her way into the shop, Murakami turned and smiled at her approaching footsteps. Audri was amazed at the way Murakami still functioned despite his handicap and how he never let it bother him in any way.
"Hello, Audri, how is your day going?" he asked.
She laughed. "Pretty good," she answered.
"Ah, I see," he said. "Are you excited for your wrestling match tomorrow?"
"Yeah, it should be a god one," she answered. "I'm tagging with Ali against two newbies. I just hope they don't mess it up."
"I am sure it will be fine," he said. "You are a good athlete and a fine worker."
"Thanks, Murakami-san," she said with a smile. Murakami always knew how to make her feel better and that was the best thing about this job. She put on her apron and joined him behind the counter. "So, what do you want me to do first?"
"Just stir these noodles for me, please," he answered. "I must get these other ingredients organized just in case we get a big crowd."
"You got it," she said. She immediately did as he asked while he bustled about. Although the noodle shop was called 24/7, it actually wasn't open that long, though it did keep late hours. Audri usually didn't work so late, but she knew that if Murakami needed her, she'd be willing to work as long as he wanted her to. Her mornings were spent working out at the gym and going to the training facility to work on matches if she was scheduled for them or to train while her afternoons were spent working at the noodle shop from one until six though the noodle shop opened up at twelve. Audri once asked Murakami why he never had the shop open in the mornings, and he stated that he did once, but nobody really came in for anything.
"They would rather get their breakfast at the fast food places or the coffee shops," he'd added.
It was sad in a way that he barely got business as it was, but Audri knew that he didn't let it get him down, which made her admire him more than ever. He just went with the flow and did what worked for the shop. He had been reluctant to hire Audri when she first asked for a job because he was the type to want to be independent and work on his own. Once he saw she was willing to do anything, however, he immediately felt it was his duty to hire her, and she had been part of the shop ever since. She loved wrestling and would have loved to make a steady career out of it, but it was impossible for that to happen, and she really wasn't sure if WWE would want her anyway.
She snapped out of these thoughts and continued to work, knowing that this was the only thing that would give her solace right now.
"So how is your mother?" Murakami asked her.
"She's good. I just talked to her yesterday. She wished me luck on my match, but she won't be there."
"Is she not a fan of your work?"
Audri shook her head. "Not really. I mean, she supports me as any mother would, but she doesn't understand what it's all about. She's not really into sports at all." Her mother had been baffled when Audri had told her she wanted to be a wrestler after she graduated high school. Her mother had been adamant about Audri going to college, but her daughter didn't want that for her life and had wanted to pursue her dream of being a wrestler. Knowing that she really couldn't stand in the way of Audri's drams, her mother had supported her and let her go on her own to pursue that dream. Although Audri was grateful for what her mother had done for her, she still couldn't understand why her mom was against the whole thing. Her dad would have supported her, but then again, he hadn't been in her life for a long time.
"Don't think about that," she told herself.
"What did you say, Audri?" Murakami asked.
"Nothing," she said hurriedly.
Murakami nodded as they continued to prepare for customers. Audri was thankful for once that Murakami couldn't see because he would notice the stricken look on her face and probably ask her more questions that she wouldn't want to answer.
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"Man, that was awesome!" Michelangelo yelled as he watched John Cena power out of a move and slam his opponent to the ground.
Rahael rolled his eyes. "Typical Cena," he grumbled. "Guy always ends up gettin' the victory."
"Yeah, but you can't help but admire his dedication to the business," Leonardo interjected.
Donatello sighed. "Why do you guys keep watching that stuff?" he complained. "You know it's fake garbage."
Raph rounded on his brother. "It is not!" he yelled. "You just don't wanna give it a chance."
Before Don could say anything more, Casey Jones and April O'Neil appeared carrying pizza for the four brothers.
"Pizza's here!" April called.
Mikey immediately leapt up and rushed over to her. "Did you get my favorite?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "No, I got us normal pizzas," she answered. "There's no way I'm getting you one of your crazy concoctions."
Mikey's face fell at that. His concoctions weren't crazy at all. They were a culinary masterpiece, but he knew that April and many others just didn't appreciate it the way he did.
Casey smiled as he ambled his way over to them. "Guys, you aren't gonna believe what I got," he began.
"Dude, are you sick?" Mikey asked in alarm. "If you are, maybe Donnie can fix you right up."
"Nah, I'm not sick, Mikey," he said. "I got tickets to Body Slam Wrestling at Madison Square Garden. It's a one night only show, and it's supposed to be good."
"Wait, so you couldn't get us tickets to a WWE show?" Raph asked him.
"No, they aren't wrestling here, but you'll love this stuff. It's still wrestling, and I figured you guys would go for it."
"It might be interesting," Leo noted. "And it'll be our first live event ever."
"Independent wrestling sucks," Raph grumbled. "It's nowhere near as good as WWE."
"But some of the best wrestlers started out in independents before making it to the big time," Casey pointed out. "Everyone has to get their start somewhere."
"Count me out," Don said. "I want nothing to do with it."
"Oh, I was hoping you would come, Donnie," said April. "It'll be fun."
Don's face lit up at April's words. "Well, if you're going, April, then I guess I could come," he said. As much as he detested professional wrestling, having a chance to hang out with April wasn't a bad thing in his book, and he'd take any chance he could to that even if meant going to something he knew he wouldn't enjoy.
"Great," April said.
"So when is it?" Mikey asked Casey.
"Tomorrow night," Casey answered. "I figured you guys didn't have anything going on, so I thought it would be a good chance for you to get out and enjoy something."
Raph sighed. "Okay, I'll go, but I don't have to like it," he said.
"As fascinating as this sounds, there is still the problem of your discretion," Splinter pointed out. "How are you going to get into an arena undetected where no one can see you?"
"They'll wear disguises, Master Splinter," Casey answered. "I got it all worked out."
"Sweet!" Mikey cheered. "Can we go, Sensei?"
Splinter sighed. He wasn't against wrestling at all and often enjoyed watching it with is sons, but he felt that this was too dangerous. "I am not comfortable with you being around so many humans, but since Casey has gotten the tickets, you may as well go and enjoy yourselves. I just want you to be cautious and not attract any attention to yourselves."
"Don't worry, Sensei, we'll be careful," Leo reassured him.
"Very well," Splinter said.
"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered. "Now let's eat some pizza to celebrate!"
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After Audri got off work she got a call from her tag team partner, Alison Donnelly.
"Hey, Ali, what's up?" Audri asked as she answered.
"Hey, Audri, are you done with work?"
"Yeah, I just got off. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I wanted to remind you to come to the center to work on our match with those newbies. I just wanna make sure they get this right."
"I know, and I'll be there," she replied. "Murakami's giving me the day off so I can prepare for the match anyway, so we'll have plenty of time to go over it."
"Good. I want to give the fans a good show and make them want more."
Audri laughed. "Yeah, they'll never know what hit them."
"That's for sure," Ali replied. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night."
"You too," Audri said as she hung up.
Her phone rang again, and she gasped as she saw it was her father calling. Why would he be calling her? He hadn't spoken to her in years.
She debated not answering it, but curiosity got the better of her. "Hello?" she said.
"Hey, Aud, what's up?" her father asked.
"Why are you calling me?" she demanded.
"I heard you're having a match at Madison Square Garden and I wanted to come see it," he answered.
"How did you know that?"
"I saw it on the website," he replied. "You seriously think I haven't been following your career, Aud? It's been fantastic how you've become such a good wrestler."
"Why would you care?" she sneered. "You haven't been in my life for years after you cheated on Mom and walked out on us. Now I'm suddenly important to you since I've become a wrestler?"
"Aud, you know you've always been important in my life," he protested. "And you know I wasn't happy with your mom anyway. Besides, that's all in the past, and I want us to start fresh, you know?"
"Well, I don't!" she snapped. "I hate you, Dad, and I don't want to see you ever again!"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Audriana," he said sadly. "I was really hoping we could reconnect."
She hung up without answering. How dare he try to call her and reconcile with her? It had been bad enough that he'd cheated on her mom with another woman, but Audri had been the one to catch them in the act, and that had scarred her for life. Her father had begged her not to tell her mom, but Audri wasn't one to keep secrets and had told her right away. Her mother confronted her dad and kicked him out of the house after he confessed to her that it was true. That had been a blow for Audri. She and her father had always shared a special bond and had always enjoyed watching wrestling together. In her heart, she had chosen wrestling because of her dad and because she felt it was a way to get her frustrations out about the whole thing out of her system. She wanted to be happy that he was following her career so closely and that he was proud of her, but she just couldn't be happy about that knowing what her father had put her through when he'd been unfaithful to her mom.
"Get over it, Audri," she told herself. "You don't need him in your life. Just move on and forget about him."
22222
As promised, Casey came up with the disguises for the Turtles, but when the four brothers saw them, they couldn't believe it.
"Trench coats?!" Raph yelled. "What the hell kind of disguises are these?"
"They're the best I could come up with on short notice," Casey answered.
"They look cool" Mikey said as he put on his trench coat and fedora hat. "I look like a detective in this thing." He pretended to be interrogating someone with a magnifying glass. "Now look here, see, you're gonna tell me who killed Eddie, see."
Raph smacked him upside the head. "Knock it off, doofus!" he snapped.
"Okay, let's get in there," Casey said. He led the way and gave the ticket holder the tickets. The guy waved them through without giving them a second glance, though Casey explained that a lot of weird people showed up as these events, so they probably wouldn't get a second look anyway.
"Thanks for the encouragement," Don said dryly.
They found their seats and sat down, waiting for the show to begin. April and Casey left to buy food for them and came back with some popcorn and hot dogs. The Turtles dug into the food and then waited as the show started.
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Audri was in the back stretching for her match. She was feeling really excited as she always did the day of a match. They had worked out the logistics and felt that the show was going to be good. She only hoped the rookies wouldn't screw things up as rookies sometimes did out of nerves.
"You ready for this?" Ali asked as she slapped her friend's shoulder.
"You know it," Audri answered. "Too bad we ain't on first."
"Yeah, I know, but we're on fourth, so that's pretty good," Ali reassured her.
"I guess so," Audri relented. "I just want to get it over with, you know?"
Ali nodded. "Boy, do I know that," she laughed.
Audri had wanted to be a wrestler straight out of high school and had looked around until she found Body Slam Wrestling. She had a tryout with them, and they had found she was a good athlete, even though she had never actually wrestled in her life. That hadn't stopped them from giving her a chance and she trained with them for two years before being given her first job offer for them. Since then, she'd worked for them, though she still felt the name could use some work. Hell, Matt and Jeff Hardy had created OMEGA out of their own heads, and it had been a success, but then again, they'd been more creative about it all. Brad Dearing didn't have that creative spark, so he'd come up with the lamest name ever, though it did work out for what it was. She enjoyed her time here and was happy with who she worked with.
Now it was time for her to steal the show as she always did. She took a deep breath as one of the technicians signaled that she was next for her tag match. She and Ali were coming out separately to their own entrances. She joined Ali and the other two rookies at the gorilla position as they waited for their cues to go out.
22222
The Turtles, Casey, and April were enjoying themselves immensely. They were getting into the matches and cheering for their favorites.
Mikey was skimming his program. "Hey, looks like there's a women's match up next," he said. "Should be pretty cool."
"Yeah, maybe they'll kick some butt," April said with a smile.
"Hell, I just hope they have a wardrobe malfunction," Casey joked. April elbowed him, and he immediately realized what he'd said. "I was just kiddin', Red. No need to get all mad at me."
"Be quiet, guys, it's starting," Leo admonished.
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The two rookies came out first and were introduced as Serena and Charity, the Avenging Angels. Then Ali came out as The Blonde Bombshell amidst a lot of cheers. Audri smiled for her friend because she knew she got a loud reception when she came out. Then it was Audri's turn to come out. Her music hit, and she came out, waving to the fans. Her face was obscured by a mask much like you would see at Mardi Gras. It was black with rhinestones around the edges and crown symbols also in rhinestones. Audri's character was La Reina de la Noche, the Queen of the Night, and she played it to perfection. She made her way to the ring and posed for the fans before joining Ali in the ring.
Ali started the match and went at Serena, trying to take her down, but Serena blocked Ali's move and countered it with a swinging neckbreaker. Ali sold it like a pro, pretending that she was in pain before getting up and punching at Serena once again. This time, her hit connected, and Serena hit the floor hard. Ali tagged in Audri who went to work mounting Serena and punching her so that she couldn't get up. Then she got off of Serena and yelled, "How do you like that, newbie?"
Serena got up and slapped Audri in the face. Enraged, Audri went at her, but Serena dodged and tagged in Charity. Charity went at Audri and picked her up, slamming her down into the mat. Audri sold it, pretending to grimace in pain and laid there for a few minutes before gingerly getting up and trying to go at Charity. Charity blocked her punch and went for her finishing move, but Audri managed to block it and hit Charity with her own move The Lights Out. Seeing her partner in trouble, Serena tried to come in, but Ali intercepted her, allowing Audri to get the pin and the win.
"Here are your winners, The Blonde Bombshell and La Reina de la Noche!" the announcer said. The referee held up their hands in victory.
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"That was awesome!" Mikey cheered as he watched the women celebrating. "I think La Reina de la Noche is so pretty!"
"Yeah, she's definitely a hot one," Casey commented.
"That was an amazing match," April said. "Those women were so good."
"I have to admit, they put on a good show," Don said.
The rest of the show went by, and the Turtles and their friends enjoyed themselves. After it was over, Casey and April went home while the Turtles decided to do some patrolling before calling it a night.
22222
Audri was on a high as she went backstage. That match had been amazing, and she was happy it had gone well. She met Ali, Serena, and Charity and smiled at them.
"That was great, guys," she commented. "Good job out there."
"Thanks," Serena replied. "We were so scared we were gonna mess up."
"But you didn't," Ali told her. "You guys were great."
They hit the showers, and then Audri decided to go walk home. Ali wanted to go with her, but Audri wanted to be alone as she always did after a show. As she stepped out the door, someone was waiting for her. She stiffened a bit when she recognized it was her father.
"Good job out there, Aud," he said. "You were great."
She glared at him. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"I told you that I wanted to see your match," he answered. "Don't I have a right to be here?"
"Not really," she replied. "I told you I don't want to see you ever again."
"You really need to get over it, Aud," he told her. "I had my reasons for leaving your mom, and you need to understand that."
"It would have been different if you'd just gotten a divorce like normal people," Audri pointed out. "But you went behind her back and cheated on her with another woman. I'm not going to get over it and I'm not going to forgive you for it, either."
"Fine, then you're going to miss out on a lot of things," he said. "Good luck with your life, Audriana." He turned and left, not even looking back.
Audri was pissed. How dare he show up at her match and try to reconcile with her? Didn't he haven any shame for what he did? Didn't he realize how horrible her life had been after that? She stormed away and decided to cut through an alley to save time, but just as she did, she found herself surrounded by three men known as the Purple Dragons.
"Look what we have here, boys," Fong, the leader, said.
"Man, she's a hot little thing," Sid added.
"Hey, she's that wrestler from that match," Tsoi chimed in. "You were pretty good, sweet thing."
Audri was scared, but she tried not to show it. "Get away from me!" she snarled.
"Hey now, that's no way to treat a man," Fong scolded. "How about we have a wrestlin' match to see who gets her?"
Sid smirked. "That sounds good to me," he answered.
Audri didn't like the sound of that, but she figured she could take them with her wrestling skills. After all, they may watch wrestling on TV, but they didn't know how to do it right. Fong came at her, but Audri dodged him. He came at her again, and she connected with a strong punch to his jaw. Fong fell to the ground, and Tsoi came at her next. Audri kicked him in the groin and went to punch him, but Sid grabbed her. She struggled, but she couldn't get out of the big man's grip.
"Looks like you need to be taught a lesson," he commented. Then he picked her up and gave her a piledriver on the cement. Audri had been on the receiving end of a few piledrivers herself, but this was different. She felt excruciating pain before everything went black.
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The Turtles were patrolling the streets when they heard a commotion in an alley. They went to investigate and saw a woman surrounded by three Purple Dragons. They watched as she talked to them and began to fight them.
"Wait, that's La Reina de la Noche!" Mikey pointed out. "What's she doing?"
"She's fightin' back," Raph answered.
They watched as she made short work of Fong and Tsoi before Sid picked her up and gave her a piledriver.
"Holy shit!" Raph swore. "That's outta line!"
"Time to intervene," Leo declared.
The four brothers jumped down and confronted the Dragons. A short battle ensued before the thugs got away. Raph wanted to go after them, but Donnie said that they needed to get help for the woman.
"Let's take her to the Lair," Mikey suggested. "I'm sure you could patch her up, Donnie."
Don shook his head. "There's no way I can help her, Mikey," he said. "And it would be too dangerous to bring her to the Lair. I'll call an ambulance for her." He pulled out his T-Phone and dialed 911. After talking to the operator, Don put his T-Phone away. "The ambulance is on the way."
"Then we'll stay here until they arrive," Leo decided.
It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived. Paramedics got out and examined the woman before loading her on a stretcher. Once it was gone, the four brothers headed back home, worried about the woman and hoping that she was okay.
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When Audri awoke, the first thing she registered was that she was lying down in a strange room. Had the Dragons captured her? She braced herself and waited to see one of them, but the only one who came through her door was a nurse.
"Ah, you're awake,' the nurse chirped. "That's good news. The doctor should be along shortly."
"What happened?" Audri asked.
"You broke your neck," the nurse answered. "Pretty nasty injury. Do you remember what happened?"
"Yeah, some guy gave me a piledriver on the cement," Audri answered. "Will I be okay?"
"That's for the doctor to determine," the nurse replied. "He should be in shortly."
Audri sighed as the nurse checked a few things and then left. How could this have happened to her? She had been in some crazy matches over the years, but this took the cake for her. She waited until the doctor came in to look at her.
"Well, it's good to see you awake," he said. "I'm Doctor Farrelly, Ms. Gregorio. How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a truck," Audri answered. "What happened to me?"
"Well, judging by the X-Rays, you sustained a severely broken neck. It's a wonder you weren't paralyzed."
"Will it heal?"
"Yes, but it's going to take some time as it was a very bad break."
"So, I'll be able to wrestle again?" she asked.
The doctor's face turned grave. "I'm sorry, Ms. Gregorio, but your wrestling career is over," he said. "If you even try to get back into the ring, you could risk permanent paralysis."
The words hit her with the force of a freight train. Her career was over. She could no longer be La Reina de la Noche. This couldn't be happening to her! What would she do now?
"I'm so sorry," Dr. Farrelly repeated. "But at least you're alive, and that's what counts. I'll come by later today to check on you." He patted her shoulder and left.
Audri was enraged. Those Purple Dragons had done this to her. They had ruined her career for good with their stupid stunt. No one would ever want to hire her now. She had nothing else to do with her life except work at Murakami's and while that wasn't a bad thing, she still wanted to be a wrestler. Now that had been taken away from her. Wrestling had been her dream, and now that dream had been cut short. But Audri knew there was one thing she could do and one thing she had to do.
The Purple Dragons had to pay for this.
A/N: Wow. Nineteen pages! I can't believe I got that far! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any questions regarding anything I mentioned in this story, feel free to ask and I'll answer you as soon as I can. I tried to make the match as interesting as possible, so I hope I did okay with that. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.