Early August 2016

Shannon hadn't heard any rumblings on dirt sheets or from McDevitt himself about any interest from the WWE. But he did inform her that Ring of Honor might be interested and asked her to consider it. She was unsure. Ring of Honor for years consistently had the best overall wrestling product, but they didn't have the massive platform or budget that the WWE had. Sinclair Broadcasting, the principal owner of Ring of Honor and a company worth 350 million dollars, didn't go all hands on deck budgeting their entire resources to the wrestling product they owned. They had other investments and made very calculated decisions to not only maintain the incredible roster they had, but finance semi-contracted international stars that they had global partnerships with such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. It was never that Sinclair Broadcasting didn't care: they knew about Ring of Honor's fourteen year history, but were aware of some of the problems of TNA, and the previous owners of ROH faced.

Doing too much too soon sometimes in business could do more harm than good. So rather than aggressively pursue a major network cable channel long term, or pursue venues that were triple their usual booking size, they purchased larger LED titan tron screens, better lighting, and invested in more performers-signing a talent exchange deal with California independent wrestling promotion, Pro Wrestling Guerilla in November of 2015. For many die-hard fans, this was fantastic news. Many ROH greats such as Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Kevin Steen and others had independently competed at PWG in addition to their ROH schedule. This new deal allowed the entire roster of Ring of Honor to do the same. This deal-make no mistake about it-truly made them live up to the moniker of being "the best damn wrestling on the planet."

As a fan and as a worker, having "the best damn wrestling on the planet" was a great thing. But more important than a stacked roster, specifically for women wrestlers, was eyeballs. It wasn't that Shannon was after the money, but the audience. She wanted to be a part of the big crowds that the WWE had. In addition to the smaller size of venues, while ROH did have a women's division, they rarely showed them on television as of late, but always did online, and of course in DVD compilations. A three minute squash match on Raw at the end of the day, was still shown on Raw.

Despite those concerns, Shannon drove to Chicago, Illinois. Even though Ring of Honor's headquarters were located in her hometown of Baltimore, ROH's dojo remained in Chicago. She went there and participated in the tryout camp. Prior to traveling to Chicago, McDevitt also told her that Shimmer Women Athletes-one of three of all-women wrestling promotions in the United States-was also offering her an opportunity for a tryout. Shannon contacted both companies beforehand and was grateful when they arranged the schedule of the particular sessions she'd attend so she could have her tryouts back to back. Because both promotions were in Chicago, she would have one tryout on a Friday and the next on Saturday of the same weekend. This way she wouldn't have to travel back and forth from the Midwest to the East Coast different weeks, which would possibly alter the independent dates around the country she had already booked weeks in advance. That was something that Shimmer and ROH did not have to do. But they knew how hard the grind was for young independent wrestlers who had not yet been signed to a company. It was much easier for a talent to get booked wrestling freelance if they established a reputation in a promotion already, such as A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, and others. At the end of the day though, ROH and Shimmer wanted their talent to be as seasoned as possible, so cooperated with Shannon's request. Shannon loved the fact that these promotions-despite their small size-were companies full of class and weren't dicks.

Monday, Mid August 2016 in Chicago, Illinois

Shannon ended up staying an extra two days after her weekend tryouts in Chicago to check out Monday Night Raw. She was dressed in a knee-high black denim skirt, a red "What a Rush" Legion of Doom t-shirt, gold bangles on her wrists, gold wedge sandals with a toe loop, and a red headband through her long wavy black hair that she didn't straighten today. Shannon was a total mark. Even though she wanted her character to be a brash prick, she wasn't in reality. Shannon wasn't one of those wrestlers that rocked their own merchandise twenty four/seven. She had an appreciation for lots of wrestlers' impact, reputation, and history to the business. As she parked her car in front of one of Chi-town's designated hot spots, she texted Bayley.

Me: Yo! I had some tryouts this weekend.

Pam: For who?

Me: ROH and Shimmer. That's all I heard from.

Pam: Slowly making your rounds I see. Maybe they're not the only ones watching you. :)

Me: No way to know for sure. :( But it's possible you're right.

Pam: How'd the tryouts go anyway?

Me: I'll call you and tell you about them later. I'm checking out Raw soon. I just wanted to give you a brief update.

Pam: Well okay, I can't wait to hear it. Hey, I need a favor. *Makes a sad, puppy dog pout*

Me: Name it. And you know you don't have to whine. LOL

Pam: Well that was easy! :P Anyway, at the next Takeover, I'm defending the title in a ⅔ falls match. We have a meeting tomorrow and Hunter wants to discuss finishes, but I have nothing. Give me an idea.

Me: You take the first fall, your opponent the next. You're about to take the third when a big spot happens (you can decide what that spot is), and the final fall ends in a double count out. You keep your title. People question whether or not Bayley just "got by" in that match's aftermath. And from there you can work Creative in a multitude of angles, playing on that ambiguity. You're welcome.

Pam: I like it, and I'll pitch it to him. You might run a promotion one day. ;) Good booking.

Me: Haha. I'll conquer one quest at a time. Ahem, I said, "you're welcome." :0

Pam: Right! Thank you! Bye. XOXO

Shannon locked her phone and put it in her bosom. She then exited the car, put on a shiny black pair of "Jealous Games" Le Specs sunglasses. She entered The Squared Circle. The Squared Circle was a professional wrestling themed sports bar and restaurant. Created and owned by Lisa Marie Varon who competed as "Victoria" and "Tara" for the WWE and TNA respectively, The Squared Circle, which had been open for three years, had a diverse menu, but many visitors frequented the restaurant for their signature gourmet burgers, brick oven pizza, and craft beers. In addition to serving food and beverages, the venue was also hot spot for wrestling fans as they hosted weekly watch parties for ROH and WWE events; for a small fee, fans could receive a bus ride to and from The Squared Circle to the All State Arena whenever WWE was in town for Raw, Smackdown or a Pay Per View, or to the Chicago Ridge for ROH shows in the area.

When she walked in the restaurant, she headed straight to the full bar. Shannon wasn't going to order a drink, but there was a great view of one of the larger television screens near the bar. She saw a bowl of pretzels on the ledge and started snacking on a few. She'd been watching Raw for about a half an hour or so before a huge C.M. Punk chant was heard over air as the opponents in the ring were taking rest spots. Raw was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that night, but the fans were repeatedly shouting C.M. Punk's name anyway. It didn't take long before the actual Chicago crowd that Punk was from joined in with the chant at The Squared Circle.

"Bullshit man, why's the crowd doing this to these guys?" Shannon said aloud as she gestured her hand towards the television. "Okay, so Dean did an elbow drop from the top rope like Punk. So what! Macho Man and HBK did it too, and theirs was much better! They glided. They didn't flail around like a fish when taken out of water. Kevin and Dean are great workers. They were over at Dragon Gate and ROH, were once over here, but the fans are killing their chances to elevate to the next level chanting for Punk. He abandoned you fans. Screw him!"

"You're a worker?" asked the tall, tanned Puerto-Rican and Turkish decent woman. She was collecting some mugs and throwing them into the dishwasher while refilling some of the bar dispensers.

"Yeah, indies though. I'm not signed anywhere, but I had some tryouts this we-" said Shannon distracted by a vibration, so checked her phone for a notification, while talking to the woman. When she raised her head and looked up, she recognized just who she was speaking to.

"Oh shi-It's great meeting you Vic-" Shannon was interrupted by Lisa, who was drying a glass with a hand towel.

"Lisa. Call me Lisa. I'm out now," Lisa said referring to being retired from the wrestling business and now living a normal life. "I'm Lisa to everyone here."

Shannon nodded. "You were one of my favorites growing up. When Chyna left, Trish and Lita were doing their thing; but you, Gail Kim, along with the others were God sends in those years before Mickie, Nattie, and Beth Phoenix came along. I probably would've gave up on wrestling if all I watched was Smackdown. The 2002-2006 era of bra and panties matches on that brand was just horrible. I could only imagine how many girls who loved wrestling like me gave up on the product because they didn't have cable to watch Raw and thought that was all women had to offer in the company. I had access to see Raw. I knew about the Women of Honor in ROH, and TNA's knockouts. But there's a bunch of people who likely didn't."

Lisa left the bar area and went to another section of the restaurant. Shannon didn't know what she said or did wrong. Lisa told her she was out of the wrestling business and urged Shannon to refer to her by her actual name. Perhaps Lisa was pissed that Shannon marked out and continued to talk about wrestling.

"Here. Free slice on me," said Lisa who returned to Shannon and gave her a plate with a supreme slice of pizza, complete with sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and diced veggies. It was apparently a gesture of gratitude for Shannon's kind words moments before.

"No thanks, the carbs," Shannon said shaking her head staring at the plate. "This is Chicago. You're the masters of the 'Deep Dish.' And you've got some Italian roots too. I know you'd hook me up with flavor, but I'd regret it later."

"If you kick ass in the gym, you can eat whatever the fuck you want," Lisa said, who then bent down under the bar and passed a bottle of water to Shannon. She just met Shannon so didn't know whether or not she consumed alcohol for sure. But because Shannon sat at the bar forty minutes without ordering a single drink, Lisa made an educated guess that she didn't.

"I hear you. But yesterday was my cheat day," Shannon said, still staring at the pizza which smelled incredible with the perfect balance of oregano, parsley, and other herbs Shannon was too distracted to think about because she was intoxicated by the scent of the slice.

"It's going to get cold soon, and that's an insult to me if you refuse my food, especially when it's on the house. Take it," Lisa said now lifting the plate and holding it mere centimeters from Shannon's face.

"Fine, fine," replied Shannon who grabbed the plate and finally took a bite. "Damn this is great. The sauce is fantastic!"

"Thanks. I can give you a jar of the marinara on your way out," Lisa said with a smile. "You won't get my recipe though."

Shannon placed the plate down and humorously placed her right hand over her heart. "Scout's honor. I wouldn't dare ask."

"Your tryouts go ok?" Lisa questioned.

Shannon took another bite of her piece and swallowed before addressing Lisa's question.

"They went well and I even have these two mice as a receipt," Shannon said using slang to informally refer to the two discolored, swelling bruises caused by blows to the eye, as she removed her sunglasses from her face.

"Ahh, they don't look too bad. Maybe and inch and a half, or two big," Lisa remarked with a a laugh. "My cat could take care of that for you."

Shannon smirked. "I'll respectfully decline the offer for the feline's assistance. I don't need bruises and scratches to the face in a 48 hour period. It was so much fun though. I got the one on the right taking a springboard reverse elbow from 'Crazy' Mary Dobson in Shimmer's tryout. Then the one on the left from Veda Scott doing a high clothesline in the ROH tryout. I even got to mix it up in a triple threat with Kelly Klein and Deonna Purrazzo. I wasn't pissed. I love my warrior wounds. It's like a friendly hazing as I'm coming closer to an opportunity to get a contract. Fingers crossed, anyway."

"Yeah, you're definitely one of us. That's the life. We're always beat up to some extent as long as we're on the road, but try our best to avoid getting injured. There's a difference between being beat up, hurt, and injured," Lisa said removing the plate at the counter as Shannon finished her slice and reached for a napkin. "Those should go down in a few days, maybe a full week to disappear. If it were UFC, officials would've used some tool squeezing them-to stop the swelling and prevent the impairment of your vision-but shit, you can still see! It's not pretty, but you're not blind either! Besides, if you're anything like I was, you didn't want to mess up the flow of the match."

Shannon shook her head, giving Lisa a non-verbal "nope," confirming her assertion, as she gulped down some more of her bottled water.

"Fuck, that was great!," Shannon shouted at the conclusion of the Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose match. Kevin tossed Dean in the air for his patented pop-up powerbomb, but on the drop down, Dean grabbed his neck for the "Dirty Deeds" swinging neckbreaker. "Should've made that finish for a Pay Per View though. Stone Cold would've been pissed. They gave it away on free tv. Damn."

"So when do you find out?" Lisa asked.

"Well I got good feedback at both tryouts," Shannon started. "The Shimmer staff said they would give me an update in about a month because they hosted another tryout camp the week before, and are in the process of reviewing footage. And ROH said they'd contact me close to their 'Field of Honor' Pay Per View at MCU Park in Brooklyn."

Shannon turned her body to the television and saw that The New Day was doing a segment mocking Budweiser beer, which headquarters was in Milwaukee.

"TNA used to do shows at MCU when we came to New York, but I think ROH has outdrawn us there to be honest. And we had the better TV deal," Lisa added, shaking her head.

"Think I need to go to Nashville and talk to Dixie?" Shannon inquired after texting Bayley that she was talking to 'Victoria.' "I know where I want to be, but I'm humble. Whomever I get a call from first, I'm willing to jump."

"I wouldn't," Lisa started contorting her lips as though the thought of Shannon pursuing TNA was pure disgust. "Pay issues. TNA's headquarters are in Tennessee. Panda Energy, their parent company, is in Texas. There's a lot of unknown in the happenings of that promotion. You're young and need stability. You need to be able to answer to one lion for awhile first, before you can handle being thrown in a zoo full of anarchy and ambiguity."

Shannon turned back to Lisa as The New Day finished their segment and Raw took a commercial break.

"So are you saying there's no structure in TNA?" Shannon asked, trusting Lisa would give her an honest answer as she had stints in WWE, TNA, and a brief run in ROH.

"I'm not saying it. It just isn't," Lisa replied raising an eyebrow and the lines in her forehead stretched for emphasis on her words. "If they'll fuck around vets in the business, sweetie, they'll definitely take advantage of you. And sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, I read stuff online about what happened to Jay," Shannon said as she disappointingly turned back around to see yet another commercial, and one from a company that wasn't even a sponsor or partner with the WWE.

"You mean Lethal?" Lisa turned around to the machine and made her a mug of beer before she leaned back facing Shannon at the counter. "Yeah, when I signed with them in '09, he was there. After I had issues in the spring of 2010, I told Dixie I wasn't re-signing without a pay increase. I went away for awhile and there were loose negotiations, nothing formidable. They released me a year later. As for Jay, he got injured, healed up, and was just chilling in Tampa for six months. No one from the office called him checking up on his health, and he hadn't been paid in awhile. No one called to say, 'do you want a gimmick change?' Or 'here's the new Creative we've got for you.' He got nothing."

"So what'd he do?" Shannon asked, but quickly smiled, not at Jay's story but because the room roared with boos when Raw returned on air and Roman Reigns entered the arena. There was nothing she had against him personally. She never met him. But as a fan, she thought his character was dull as a top guy.

"Did what he should've done a lot sooner. Told TNA to kiss his ass, went back to ROH, and now look at him," Lisa said, projecting her voice so Shannon could hear her over the boos, then drank more beer.

"Yep. He's the man, and so gracious too," said Shannon with a nod. "He and Adam are doing their thing, for sure. I'm happy for them. I'd love being in a locker room like that."

Roman was talking about starting from the bottom in his promo, which the Raw Milwaukee audience shouted "Bullshit," noting not only his family ties to the business, Vince McMahon's love for his "look," as well as the huge push The Shield received since debuting at Survivor Series four years ago. He'd been the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for three and a half months and would be defending his title in two weeks at Summerslam. And this crowd could care less.

"Hey, can I ask you about injuries?" Some froth from the beer created a mustache on Lisa's face, so when she rotated her hand forward, Shannon saw that as a sign to continue. "I haven't had anything major. I broke my wrist, but other than bruises and cuts, nothing serious. But I know it's coming because it happens to everyone. How do you cope when it happens?"

"I tore my ACL in a Chicago Street Fight I had with Trish," Lisa began as she brushed her wrist against her face to wipe the froth of the beer. Shannon interrupted her.

"I think I remember that," Shannon said squinting her eyes recounting the event. "Was it Survivor Series, '02 or '03?"

"It could've been, I've had so many matches. Fans will tweet you and remind you of anniversaries of different matches. I try not to be rude, but in all honesty, it's the moments in matches, not necessarily the event, venue, or how many minutes it went that we remember most," Lisa answered before grabbing a few pretzels from the bowl that Shannon snacked on earlier. "I slammed her on a trashcan lid. She rolled out of the way, and I landed on the trashcan, but my knee went into the trashcan part that doesn't bend."

"Yep, that's the street fight I remember," Shannon said with a smile, before raising her eyebrows again. "Did you even rehab after surgery? Weren't you on Raw right afterwards?"

"No surgery. And I didn't take any time off. I just started wearing a brace on my knee during matches," Lisa clarified, and Shannon clenched her fist and raised it to her bosom, tapping her chest as a sign of respect for her. "Austin's wrecked both of his knees and wears two. I talked to him for advice and he inspired me. He told me, 'As long as you wear your brace and train your muscles to work out your ACL, you're fine. Just be aware of what you're doing.' "

"Yeah Stone Cold is one of the toughest dudes in the business," Shannon remarked when The Square Circle faithful cheered as the Swiss man himself, Antonio Cesaro, who was now once again heel and the number one contender for Reigns' title, entered the arena, and interrupted Roman's promo. Cesaro came to the ring in a black pin-striped suit, with a dark grey J. Crew turtleneck sweater, and dark sunglasses. Even though it was August, the building was air-conditioned, and Shannon liked the look on him. It made her think of Cesaro as action movie villain Jason Statham.

"Not to compare myself to Stone Cold or anything, but if he can do it, I can do it," Lisa affirmed, and offered a bowl of peanuts to Shannon, who shook her head in refusal. "Right before going down the ramp, I always prayed to God that I didn't hurt myself, or that the other person didn't get really injured. But my main thought is that I want to kick some butt and entertain the fans. Really, injury is the last thing on my mind. So all I can tell you is, they happen. If you love what you do you don't think about it, and take care of it the best way you see fit when they do happen."

The Four Horsemen Challenge, Slobberknocker Pizza, The Garden Calzone, Gail-Kim Chi, Hillbilly Paradise and Mac Attack Burgers? Shit, I'm marking out just with the references on the menu alone! I've gotta' come here again when I'm back in the Windy City.

September 23rd, 2016

Ring of Honor fans were wrestling fans first and foremost. So of course they knew about the mainstream promotions like TNA, and of course the king, WWE. ROH was one of those weird ones where recognizing them as the third major professional wrestling promotion or an independent one really depended on who you asked and what their criterion was. ROH didn't have a television deal with a major network like the WWE did with its main shows, but one with a B-level channel in Destination America, and later Comet TV. They also had a cult following digitally with people who did not have a channel affiliated with ROH's partners in their viewing area, but remained fans of the product since its birth in 2002. To their credit, there were several little independent companies that tried to get off the ground running to be in a position to be considered as a number two or three alternative to the WWE, once ECW and WCW were purchased in 2001. Many of them failed to sustain any momentum and went defunct. ROH in that respect, was a lot like ECW. Despite the size of the company and the diversity in the talents' styles-which were more aggressive than mainstream-you'd always manage every now and again to see some smark fans either start an ROH chant, or sneak a ROH sign in an event before WWE or TNA would alert security to confiscate the sign, or ask the fan to leave.

Shannon was set to compete against Rachel Collins, who competed as MisChif, and was married to Aaron Frobel, also known as Michael Elgin. She signed with Ring of Honor at the end of August, two weeks after the "Field of Honor" Pay Per View. Shimmer offered her a deal the second week in September, but she made a commitment to whichever company called her first. She thought she ended up making the right decision: Before Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Antonio Cesaro were stars in the WWE, they were Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, Kevin Steen, and Claudio Castagnoli in Ring of Honor. The same for C.M. Punk and A.J. Styles. ROH seemed to be a prerequisite for brighter lights. MisChif and Shannon Storm were squaring off at "All Star Extravaganza IX" at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio Texas.

"For those of you that want to know what we're all about, it's like this y'all:

This is ten percent luck, and twenty percent skill.

Fifteen percent concentrated power and will.

Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain.

And one hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

"This next contest is scheduled for one fall and it has a fifteen minute time limit," ROH Ring Announcer Bobby Cruise spoke in the microphone, after the first few seconds of Shannon's theme music "Remember the Name," by Fort Minor played. "Making her way to the ring, from Baltimore Maryland, weighing in tonight at one hundred fifty five pounds, Shannon Storm!"

Shannon missed the old school days of the WWF in the late 1980s and early 1990s-when they announced women's matches exactly like the men-complete with names, hometowns, and even weights. She thought that was a nice touch with Ring of Honor and felt the more wrestling promotions would do that, they could really help women confront and overcome their body image issues. She was comfortable in her muscular, yet not overbearingly so, frame; and whatever frame any young lady currently watching her had, she would hope they'd grow to love theirs as well.

As Shannon walked through the curtain and stood at the ramp when her music continued, she remained standing with her head down, just taking the moment in. Just before the chorus repeated in the song, she lifted her hood from above her vest and shouted in the main camera, "I have arrived!" then proceeded to head to the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of ROH's newly signed talents, Shannon Storm," commentator Kevin Kelly. "She'll be taking on MsChif tonight. Folks, she's not the seasoned veteran that MsChif is, but she makes up for that in desire and ability."

"Yeah that's right Kevin Kelly. MsChif's been around: She's competed in Shimmer. She's competed in Shine. She's a world traveler," said fellow commentator Steve Corino. "But I've heard positive reviews from some of the ROH wrestlers in the training dojo about this young lady, and they've indicated she's a great prospect to have. We're always looking for young talent."

Collins made her entrance to the ring and the referee gestured for the women to shake hands.

"Alright, we're just about under way for this Women of Honor contest. Let's see if MisChif adheres to the Code of Honor," said Kelly. "I doubt she'll want to as she hasn't done so in the past."

Collins did her patented scream at Shannon as she usually does to all of her opponents as well as referees who stand in her way with her banshee gimmick. Shannon kept her hand out and Collins howled again-this time not at Shannon specifically-but at her hand.

"She's never been a nice lady, this MisChif," said Corino, who reminded fans who may not have seen MisChif in awhile that she was a heel in a subtle fashion. "She has yet to adhere to the Code of Honor...but wait a minute, she's raising her hand towards Storm's now...they're centimeters away...maybe she's had a change of heart…"

The crowd was beginning to cheer and woo because the bell had rung, yet the match continued to stall. They were anticipating something fun to happen, but weren't sure when it would happen, or what it was going to be.

"What a vicious slap by Storm to MisChif...and MisChif immediately responds with a debilitating headbutt to Shannon knocking her off her feet and she rolls to a corner!" Kelly shouted and the fans cheered. "Neither of these ladies seem interested in adhering to the Code of Honor! Shannon appeared as if she were trying to sucker MisChif in with some cunning plan to get a quick advantage, and MisChif saw it a mile ahead, and retaliated in aggression."

"Yeah, you're right Kevin, it's like two sides of a rotten tree with these two," said Corino. "It doesn't matter which side you explore, one side's going to be bad, and the other worse. MisChif could've knocked Storm out. I mean, I see her getting up, but it doesn't mean she knows where she is right now."

"MisChif with another headbutt and Storm goes down," announced Kelly. "Forearms to the jaw! It looks like she wants to disfigure Shannon's face for that vicious slap from earlier. MisChip whips Storm into the ropes, and flings her with a perfectly executed hip toss. The referee makes the count...one...two...kickout! Steve tell us why Storm versus MsChif looks to be a good match up."

"Well Kevin, you've got a vet versus a rookie," Corino said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, though the only people who saw it were those fans seated directly behind the guardrail. "Sometimes, competition isn't motivated by a title, but by competition itself. Shannon Storm's out here trying to prove a point: not just that she's arrived in Ring of Honor, but that she can hang with the likes of MsChif. MisChif on the other hand is a veteran. She doesn't have to prove anything. She's got a reputation, but it doesn't mean she doesn't want to remind this kid of who she is and what she's capable of. Sometimes those things bring out the best in people."

"Thank you very much Steve. I appreciate the insight," said Kelly whose voice varied in volume during various spots in the match. "Front facelock applied on Shannon Storm by MisChif, oh a thumb to the eyes by Storm, who then delivers a spinning heel kick to MisChif's midsection!"

"Thumb to the eyes?" asked Corino in confusion. "I didn't see a thumb to the eyes. MisChif had Storm in the front facelock, her grip gave way, and Shannon countered."

"I have to wonder why then Steve, did MisChif immediately put her hands to her face before Shannon kicked her," Kelly expressed frustratingly to Corino. "But be that as it may, Shannon follows up with a great swinging neckbreaker, and gets a one count."

"Maybe MisChif has allergies we don't know about Kevin," Corino remarked in defense of Shannon. "Looks like Storm is frustrated-almost insulted-that she didn't even get a two count on that exchange...she climbs to the second rope and sits on the top turnbuckle."

"C'mon! Get up! Get up dammit!" Shannon screamed and raised her right hand three consecutive times, urging Collins to get to her feet so she could deliver a move to her from the turnbuckle.

As Collins stirred and Shannon eased her hips to climb to the top turnbuckle pad, Collins ran towards her, grabbed her ponytail from the back and delivered another headbutt. As Shannon sold being dazed by the third headbutt in one match, Collins joined her on the second rope and drove her head to the canvas, in the X Factor, a signature maneuver of former WWE superstar X-Pac.

"Obliteration! The kneeling piledriver from the second rope…she hit Obliteration! That's gotta' do it Steve!" yelled Kelly. "Storm was goading MsChif with the taunting, and it came back to bite her!" shouted Kelly. "One, two, oh the ropes! Storm got her foot on the ropes."

Shannon sold the move great, getting her legs straight in the air before taking the bump, similar to RVD's selling of a spiked DDT from the ropes or ring apron.

"Oh man, that's what I'm talking about when I say the kid's special," said Corino. "The Obliteration is definitely a devastating maneuver that would take anyone out. But Storm had the awareness to get to the ropes when she was too out of it to forcibly evade the pin attempt."

Collins kneed Shannon in the midsection and she bent over. When Shannon bent over, MisChif charged into the ropes and leaped in the air.

"MisChif with the springboard elb-No!" Kelly yelled so loud into the headset that some of his wording was disjointed in the over the air broadcast for Pay Per View viewers; but the live audience in the venue felt his excitement. "Shannon Storm dropkicks MisChif directly in the elbows and she crashes down face first, just after her throat connected with the top rope.

Fans in the front row began hitting the guardrail with the Ring of Honor logos, indicating their appreciation of the effort thus far in the match and began chanting, "ROH, ROH, ROH!"

"There's those instincts again Kevin Kelly," Corino looked on ahead in the ring, as ROH's crew did not rely on television monitors. "Anyone can go in a gym and train to pump iron, but there's two things you can't coach and both of these ladies have them: experience and speed. And we just saw the latter with that counter."

"MisChif, shaking off the sting from Shannon's dropkick to her elbows is now up...she turns around, runs right into Shannon…Oh my! What a combination!" Kelly yelled as Shannon delivered dual strikes. "Running jumping knee to MisChif's face, and follows with a jumping enzurguri to the back of MisChif's head with the opposite leg. She calls that combo Whirlwind. Cover, and one, two, no!"

"Shannon now pulling MsChif by her dark green hair, tosses her through the middle rope...I wonder what she has on her mind Kevin…" said Corino who was enjoying what he was seeing. "Storm with a running dropkick to the face...and MisChif hits her head on the outside as her legs are trapped through the middle ropes."

Shannon was aware of Collins' great flexibility as she remembered seeing ROH footage of her selling a great Boston Crab applied by Sara Del Ray, so asked Collins if she could get a submission spot in the match, which she agreed.

"What's this?" asked Kelly, who was unsure of what Shannon's intentions were with MsChif's body literally divided from the ring, to the outside. "This is some unique tree of woe position...Storm Shield through the middle rope? That's Storm's modified Figure Four leglock...and she's doing in between the ropes...my God and look at the position! She could break MisChif in half...look at the bridge on MisChif's neck and shoulders from the outside!"

"One, two, three, four, come on Shannon, break the hold! She's on the ropes!" shouted ROH referee Todd Sinclair to Storm. Surprisingly, Shannon complied and pushed the rest of Collins' body outside.

"Oh Kevin, I think that was incredible," said Corino nodding his head as the crowd started a "This is Awesome" chant. "We haven't seen something like that before. Lots of people do the Figure Four. We know Ric Flair's made it famous. Few do that Indian Deathlock modification, and for Storm to do it from the middle rope is something special. For the past four years, we've had people from the New England region win the Top Prospect Tournament. From Donovan Dijak, to Hanson, Mike Bennett, to Matt Taven. This year Lio Rush won it. And Storm comes from the same training facility as that young man. These East Coast, Mid Atlantic kids are quite the innovators. You may think the Figure Four is just an attack on the lower leg, but with that tweak on the ropes, Shannon is doing damage to the patela-to the various ligaments in MisChif's knees-with that leverage."

Todd Sinclair made a count of eleven before Collins limped towards the ropes and rolled back in the ring.

"Shannon with a kick to the tem-No! Desecrator! With Storm's leg suspended high, MisChif nails her scissored DDT!" Kelly shouted. "Now on to the cover!"

"Yeah Kevin, but I don't know if she really got all of it," Corino said with uncertainty in his tone. "We saw the damage Shannon did to the knee. She took her time getting back in the ring, and no matter how tough she is, it's got to be bothering her." Sinclair made a count of two and Shannon got her left shoulder up.

Collins battled back and in frustration let out another howl; and the fans clapped, egging her on. Even though they both were heels, ROH crowds weren't just smarks in the "smart towns" like Philadelphia, Chicago, or Brooklyn. If they wanted to cheer heels, the ROH crowd did it regardless. Shannon loved every bit of it.

"MisChif drives Shannon Storm into the corner of the ring and thrusts her shoulder continuously into Shannon's midsection, possibly trying to injure Shannon's ribs in the same fashion that Storm likely has done damage to her knee," Kelly explained as the crowd cheered when MisChif raised Shannon to the top turn turnbuckle. She joined her moments later, and delivered a superplex. MisChif could not cover Shannon because she rolled out of the ring and crawled to another side. When she approached the apron from another side, MsChif grabbed her in a front facelock and executed a slingshot suplex from the outside, back into the ring."

"Suplex City, Suplex City, Suplex City," was chanted throughout the auditorium after Collins' second suplex to Shannon, and it bothered her a little.

It's not that I have anything against Lesnar. I never met the guy, but I'm sure he's a good dude. I know Sable thinks so. But this chant is pissing me off. Lesnar's not in this match.

Shannon kicked out of the second suplex, and MisChif delivered a delayed vertical suplex to her.

"Uh oh, front facelock and she raises Storm in the air for a delayed vertical...and she keeps her up as the fans count, shades of her husband, "Big Mike" Michael Elgin," said Corino. "Elgin usually keeps the guys up twenty, thirty seconds, but MisChif doesn't bring Shannon down until sixty. A full minute's gotta' do damage to her as all the blood rushes to the brain!"

The "Suplex City" chants started again.

Besides, Lesnar does multiple Germans most of the time. The real "Suplex City" should be Scott Steiner. These assholes need to watch tape of him from '89-'93 before the 'roids and the "Big Papa Pump" gimmick. Lesnar wasn't the only collegiate stud. The Steiner brothers were beasts at Michigan.

The crowd started a "One more time" chant, indicating their desire for yet another suplex.

Fuck this shit. I'm turning this crowd. MisChif knew their finish, but it wasn't yet time in the match for that to happen.

Shannon mumbled to Collins as she lied underneath her body, "Submissions coming, three in a row." When they rose to their feet, Collins whipped Shannon into the ropes, and as she returned, she leaped at Collins, grabbing her in a front facelock-body scissors combination, also known as a guillotine choke. Collins sold for a minute, fading on both knees. As the referee raised Collins' hand for a pass out on the third attempt, she grabbed Shannon by the waist and slammed her down to break the hold. Shannon sold the impact the maneuver took on her back for a few seconds. Collins got up and raced for a clothesline, but Shannon ducked it and nailed a drop toe hold, transitioning into the Achilles Tendon lock, which was a modified, inverted version of the Ankle Lock. Collins crawled within an inch of reaching the ropes, Shannon rolled over her back, sliding Collins' left arm between her legs as she applied a crossface.

The crowd was in awe by the action and started a "You are awesome! This is wrestling!" chant.

When Shannon thought she turned the tide with the audience she shouted loud at them, "Submission City, bitches!" It didn't take long. Seconds later, the crowd started shouting "Submission City" followed by a five-count clap.

Hell yeah! That's how you turn a fucking crowd, girl! That shit would get over astronomically if I were a face! But fuck it, I like it as a heel too.

"We don't brag here at Ring of Honor," Corino said passionately. "We don't pipe in noise to get reactions. The people tell you how they feel, and they're absolutely excited about what they're getting with these athletes leaving it all in the ring."

"I don't know what else Storm can do Steve. Three submissions back to back, not to mention the other one from earlier through the ropes. And MisChif never tapped," Kelly expressed compellingly. Meanwhile, Collins climbed to the top rope again. "MisChif with the cross body-No! Another counter! Whoah, what elevation! MisChif went for a cross body and Shannon caught her, adjusted her over her shoulders and delivered her torture rack, jumping double knee backbreaker combo, also known as Evolution!"

"One...two...oh my God, what a match are we seeing!" Corino yelled. "What do they have to do? What are they going to do to put the other away? What fighting spirit from both women!"

Shannon smacked the canvas of the ring, and as she got up complained to the referee about what she felt was a slow count. She didn't strike him, but Collins pushed her into him, and he took a bump from the corner of the ring.

"The ref's down. Someone's gotta take advantage! This is their chance!" Corino continued. "Storm turns around...ah...she got her in the...I'm trying to be careful of what Sinclair Broadcasting will allow me to say...MisChif has got a hold of both of Shannon's ta-tas, and shoves her down after squeezing them!"

"ROH certainly is no stranger to the eccentric. Ring of Honor Television Champion Dalton Castle is a bizarre one himself," Kelly said in response to MisChif groping Shannon's D Cup breasts. Neither woman was homosexual. They were entertaining, and Shannon agreed to allow MisChif to do it. She knew Goldust would be proud.

Both ladies left the ring on opposite sides and grabbed steel chairs. They swung at the same time and the chairs smacked against one another instead of connecting with Collins or Shannon. When they saw the referee began to stir, they both flopped down and dropped their chairs. The referee walked to the center of the ring noticing the steel chairs, and that both ladies were down. Todd Sinclair stood next to Collins and faced the audience while pointing at Shannon, miming to the crowd with his hands as to ask if she brought one of the chairs that was now in the ring. With his back to her, she sat up like The Undertaker, shaking her head violently, urging the audience not to snitch on her cheating tactic. When she saw Sinclair proceed to approach her from the corner of her eye, she immediately flopped back down. Once Sinclair reached Shannon, he repeated the same gesture to the crowd, directing his inquiries to Collins about the questionable behavior. She too, shook her head in defiance to the crowd denying her involvement, and flopped down when the referee returned. He stood in the middle of them, not resolving the deception and not knowing who to disqualify, so he shrugged his shoulders. He removed the chairs from the ring, and the crowd erupted in laughter at the silliness.

Shannon really enjoyed that spot. It was in her opinion that you could have a good match with anyone who was capable of having a good match. It didn't have to be a babyface and a heel squaring off against one another. Nor did she believe each heel had to use dirty tactics throughout the entire match, or even any time in the match at all. Those conscious little decisions of when, why, and how to do something could elicit reactions from crowds, and that was important to Shannon. It was always cool to her to sometimes see a serious heel do something comical and not badass; just like it was neat for a babyface every so often to unleash a mean streak. To her, that separated the good wrestlers, from the great ones.

"And now we're back at square one with these two-just gutting it out-connecting with rights and lefts as they fight from their knees," Corino explained while the ladies duked it out before eventually making it to their feet once again.

"Storm with another right...but the hand is blocked by MisChif...MisChif leans forward...mist!" Kelly shouted! "MisChif just spat out that green mist, shades of the "Japanese Buzzsaw" Tajiri, but Storm ducks, and it goes right into the referee's face!"

"Tough break for Sinclair," Corino laughed. "Here it comes, Code Green, MisChif's senton powerbomb. Shannon can't kick out. MisChif traps her opponents' arms underneath her legs on the rotation."

"One, two, three," shouted the crowd after Collins connected with the pinning combination. But unfortunately for them, they were not the referee.

"The referee is still trying to clear his eyes up from that green mist," Kelly whined with sympathy. "Here comes the official pin, finally...one...two...oh Storm grabbed the hip section of MisChif's tights...her arms were trapped but her wrist was at least free...She rolls through MisChif's grip and now she's in the pinning predicament...one...two...wait a second...Shannon has her legs on the ropes...hey ref...three."

"Here is your winner by pinfall, Shannnnon Storrrrrrm!" ring announcer Bobby Cruise said as her theme music began to play, and Todd Sinclair, who was still trying to clear his impaired vision, rubbed his eyes with one hand, while raising Shannon's hand with the other.

"Oh man, what a match. You've gotta give it to both of them. They brought it," Corino said as he was seen applauding from the announce table when the camera angles focused on their table. "Kevin, I know you mentioned her foot on the ropes, but it doesn't matter. You gotta' give her credit. She probably scouted her from afar, knew that mist was coming, got out of harm's way, and capitalized. I'm not mad at her at all! It's MisChif's fault the ref couldn't recover quick enough to count Shannon's shoulders to the mat. She was outsmarted by Storm. Hell of a debut for the young lady! Great match, and a huge win!"

Shannon exited the ring and began to walk up the ramp backwards so that she could stare at Collins, whose face was frowned, and let out a growl in disappointment. Shannon smiled back at her, removed her mouth guard and clipped it behind her ear, before raising her own arm mouthing the words, "My hand was raised." She then looked to the crowd that were putting their thumbs down, booing at her, and told them, "Shut up! I won the match. It doesn't matter how."

As Shannon continued to celebrate and taunt the fans, ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuiness, who was also ringside during the match, grabbed a microphone and Shannon's attention, when he walked up the ramp to her. Her music stopped.

"Shannon Storm, I want to talk to you for a second," Nigel began as he touched Shannon's shoulder. "Shannon, first of all, congratulations on your win, and welcome to Ring of Honor. That was a fantastic showing. Despite the reaction from these fans, I don't think you took the fifteen year veteran too lightly."

"Nigel, you are correct. Congrats are in order because I was victorious. As I've been trying to explain to this idiots in San Antonio who are either bitter or stupid-and I wouldn't be shocked if it were both-I mean we are in Texas after all," Shannon responded and as the crowd's booing grew louder, instinctively she raised her arm again to belabor the point of her win, and the noise subsided so she could continue her interview.

"Normally Nigel, I would say 'thank you for the opportunity,' but I'm not going to. The pleasure was all yours, and you're quite welcome by the way. I sincerely mean that from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, MsChif's a seasoned vet and a fighter. I would tip my cap to her, but honestly it's not even worth the time because she didn't get the job done tonight. I did. MsChif may be from 'Dante's Inferno,' but Shannon Storm just put out the flame. I got the victory. My hand was raised. This is a young woman's game, and I'm the youngest!"

Shannon turned away from Nigel and headed up the ramp as her music replayed.

The main event of the evening was ROH World Champion Adam Cole defending against Jay Lethal in a ladder match. They both were still heels on the roster which Shannon liked, and Adam defeated Lethal for the title at the August "Field of Honor" Pay Per View. Adam retained the title tonight when the Young Bucks superkicked Joey "Whose your Daddy?" Daddiego off a ladder, and he fell out of the ring through the commentary table. Corino and Kelly finished calling the match standing up. Joey had Lethal on his shoulders and was climbing the ladder for him, when The Young Bucks took him out, and proceeded to clean house on the rest of "The House of Truth."

Following the Pay Per View, Shannon went out with Adam, Matt, and Nick Jackson. The date was strictly platonic. She was a fan of all of them, didn't know if Adam was interested, and besides Matt and Nick were married anyway. She wanted to know what their thoughts were about pitching to Creative the idea of her joining their "Elite Club" stable of Adam and The Young Bucks. Taeler Hendrix was the only female in "The House of Truth," and she thought she could be the female in their stable. Taeler wasn't wrestling, just serving as a ringside valet in the H.O.T. Shannon thought if she joined the "Elite Club," it would give Hendrix a reason to get back in the ring, especially since these stables had a reputation. Perhaps ROH would add a few more Women of Honor matches on television as well instead of Pay Per View or live tour bouts.

So today is Friday, the 13th. For anyone that is superstitious, I hope you have a safe one. For anyone who isn't, watch your favorite horror movie for me! :)