There was a longer than planned intermission before the championship match. After seeing Mickie off to the hospital, Jim Cornette came to the ring and addressed the fans, updating them all on her condition.
"It's unfortunate for something like that to happen to a great competitor like Mickie, but she is getting the best care possible," he reassured everyone. "Everyone in the FWF is going to be looking forward to seeing her back in the ring as soon as she's able."
After that announcement, the audience was given a break to visit the concession stands and restrooms. Then when everyone had returned to their seats, Christy Hemme came to the ring and killed some time by hosting a 'kiss-cam' segment that targeted couples throughout the crowd. She also tossed out some free t-shirts to the fans.
Backstage, both Victoria and Layla took advantage of the time to try and recuperate both physically and mentally.
Layla had never before exerted herself so much in the ring as she had that night. While the beating she'd taken from ODB earlier in the evening had been intense, it had also been rather short, all things considered. It was her match with Melina that had truly drained her. But for all that, her spirits were high. She'd pulled off the greatest victories of her life tonight and won not only the respect of her fans, but that of her peers. And her humiliation of Michelle…that had felt like a once in a lifetime moment. No, Layla's flesh may have been weak at the moment, but her spirit was soaring. On top of that, she had no expectations for winning it all…she'd already achieved more success than she'd dreamed by coming this far. She was going into the championship bout feeling an amazing lack of pressure. She had nothing to lose.
Victoria could not say the same. Physically she'd been taxed more that night than she had in a long time…possibly more than she ever had at anytime in her career. But she was a woman who was accustomed to such punishment. Her strength and endurance were the envy of almost every woman on the roster. Even now, at the very brink of her breaking point, she was still formidable. And her need to win…that was as strong as ever. While Layla had come in with a desire to prove herself a worthy wrestler, Victoria's ambitions were much loftier. She had long established herself as a fixture of the women's wrestling scene. But her status as a respected veteran had never satisfied Victoria. It was why she'd never walked away from the business when so many of her contemporaries had. She'd always felt there was more she could achieve…that she could prove she was the best…the absolute best. And with the establishment of the FWF she'd never been more determined to reach that elusive goal.
But now, with the gold in her grasp, her emotions were in shambles. She was tired, she was hurt, and her focus was split. At best, only half her mind was in the arena preparing for the final match. The rest of her thoughts were speeding away in an ambulance to a nearby hospital. She could still see Mickie's face…normally such a beautiful face…contorted by pain. And her leg, the angle at which it had been twisted…could it be set right? When it healed would she be the same…or was her career over? These questions haunted Victoria. And they haunted her still as her name was called and she began a slow walk towards the ring.
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The long night was almost over and the final match was to be the culmination of all that had gone before. The fans in attendance had been through an emotional roller coaster since the start of the night. They'd laughed, they'd been shocked, they'd cried. They'd viewed disappointment and failure alongside redemption and validation. Jillian Hall and Layla had elevated themselves to a new level. Melina had faced an unexpected humbling. Beth Phoenix had amazed and astounded onlookers even as she'd gone down in defeat. Michelle McCool had been more thoroughly and satisfyingly humiliated than anyone had ever dared dream possible. The much-loved Mickie James had been carried out in tears, causing every heart in the arena to break just a little and thousands of quiet prayers to be said.
And all that just to reach this moment…the moment that would crown the first ever FWF World Champion.
Victoria was cheered by the fans as she climbed into the ring, though perhaps not as loudly as she'd been cheered earlier in the evening. It wasn't so much that the audience was blaming her for Mickie's injury, but more of a sobering reaction to the fact that the last time they'd seen Victoria in the ring, something tragic had transpired.
The cheers for Layla were wildly enthusiastic, and she reveled in them. Tired as she was she smiled and waved as she came down the aisle, and took time to high five and even give some quick hugs to the fans at ringside.
When both women were in the ring, a more formal announcement was made, as befitted a World Title bout. There would be no spin of the wheel for this match. No unusual stipualtions. This was to be a pure one on one battle for supremacy. A championship should be decided in no other way.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the main event of the evening. It will be contested to one fall, with no time limit, for the FWF World Championship."
Again, the crowd erupted. The ring announcer waited for the cheers to die down before continuing.
"The contenders: first to my right…from London, England and now residing in Miami, Florida. She stands five feet two inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and twenty pounds…LAYLA EL!
More wild cheers from the fans.
"And to my left, from Los Angles, California. She stands five feet eight inches tall and weighs in tonight at one hundred and fifty pounds. She is a five time Women's World Champion…VICTORIA!
Again the fans sounded off…showing more energy than they had when Victoria had first entered. The anticipation for the match to begin was feeding the crowd's excitement.
After the announcer left the ring but before the bell had rung, Layla took a step towards Victoria and held out her hand. Though her thoughts were still troubled, Victoria could see there was nothing false in her opponent's expression. She responded to the gesture and shook Layla's hand, which generated some more applause from the audience.
"A nice show of sportsmanship to start things off," Ivory commented.
"We'll see how long that lasts," JBL replied. "This match is for all the marbles. And after all these two have gone through to get here, I expect they'll go at it tooth and nail once the action gets underway."
When the bell rang, neither woman moved. Rather than run at one another or even circle each other cautiously, they simply stood for a moment and waited to see who would make the first move. The stare down was revealing. Normally Layla would have been far too intimidated by Victoria to play the role of aggressor, but she saw the larger woman seemed somewhat distracted.
Oh, what the hell? Why not? the British beauty thought almost giddily before launching herself at the powerful veteran. She opted for a straight forward flying dropkick…and connected. And though this didn't take Victoria off her feet, only sending her staggering back a few steps, Layla's confidence was still bolstered. With a devil-may-care attitude she ran at Victoria again.
The veteran tried to recover and swung at Layla as she charged. But the shorter woman ducked under her and, once behind her foe, hit a reverse thrust kick to Victoria's back. Off balance, Victoria stumbled forward. Layla ran up to her and grabbed her head before turning so that they were back to back. Then she executed her version of a classic neckbreaker.
"The Lay-Out!" Ivory shouted from the announce table. "Layla just hit her finisher."
"And she's going for the cover!" JBL added.
The referee slapped the canvas once…twice…and his hand was less than an inch from hitting it a third time when Victoria suddenly twisted underneath Layla to raise one shoulder off the mat. The audience let out a cry of shock, though not of disappointment. Close calls always made for good drama…and anyone would have been hard pressed to find a closer call than what they'd just witnessed.
Victoria sat upright as Layla rolled off her and to her side.
Snap out of it! The veteran admonished herself. Get up! Why are you even on the mat? Get up!
Normally such thoughts wouldn't even have formed in Victoria's mind. She would have scrambled to her feet on instinct alone. But she realized that she was not on her game at all. It was a disturbing feeling. She felt out of place, confused…like some green rookie. And she became even more disturbed when she realized she was still sitting on the mat as she again felt Layla's arms wrap around her head. But this was not attempt at a neckbreaker. It took her a second to register what was happening, and by then the crowd had started to roar.
"Sleeper hold!" Ivory cried out excitedly. "Layla's put the sleeper on Victoria!"
"And she's already down on the mat," JBL put in. "We could be watching history here!"
Victoria tried to lurch up and forward. She got on her knees even as the effects of the sleeper began to really hit her. Instead of being able to rise further, she felt herself falling. In her current state, the sleeper was a devastating move to use against her. It wasn't painful in the least, rather it made her unable to think...added to her exhaustion. It was seductive really. She was already so tired. Why not give in? Close her eyes and rest?
GET UP! The competitor inside Victoria screamed. FIGHT! FIGHT OR YOU'RE LOST!
But that voice had another arguing against it. A sad and weary voice that represented the guilt she was feeling over what had happened to Mickie.
Stop…give in, this voice said. If you deserved to win you wouldn't be in this position now. You can't even beat Layla? You shouldn't be champion. A real champion would have beaten Mickie without hurting her.
NO! FIGHT!
No…give in. The sad voice may have whispered instead of shouting, but it filled Victoria's mind just as loudly. Look out into the crowd. You see the excitement in their faces? They want Layla to win. She deserves it more. Give it to her. Give it to them. Close your eyes and lie down.
And even as her competitive side kept screaming, Victoria let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes…collapsing to the mat like a rag doll.
"THIS IS IT!" Ivory shouted. "THIS IS IT!"
The crowd was yelling its collective lungs out as the referee raised Victoria's arm the first time only to watch it fall back to the canvas. Then a second time.
But as her arm was raised a third time, Victoria's eyes opened. She clenched her fist and kept her arm in the air.
The guilty voice inside her wasn't whispering now. And the competitor wasn't screaming. No, the only scream now was an actual one…the one Victoria let out as she struggled to stand.
A scream of rage.
She and Layla were facing the side of the ring where the announcer's table was placed. Thus, Ivory and JBL both got an excellent view of Victoria's expression as she got back on her knees, and then back to her feet, with Layla still hanging on to her with the sleeper hold.
"Victoria's…" Ivory began, surprise evident in her tone. "Victoria's still in this. And…I haven't seen that look in her eyes in years." That statement was very true. But the fact remained that Ivory had seen that look in the woman's eyes before. So had her broadcast partner.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't look now," JBL said. "But I think the original Psycho-Diva is back in the house!"
Psycho-Diva...the tag that had been attached to Victoria at the start of her wrestling career when she'd come into the business displaying a disturbing obsession with the already established Trish Stratus. Back then, Victoria had been as strong and athletically gifted as she was now, but almost entirely irrational...a hate-filled monster. That monster had been banished over the years...therapy and counseling had made it retreat to the point that Victoria had even been able to compete against Trish and remain in control...even though her issues with her one time friend-turned-enemy had never been resolved.
No, over the years Victoria had come to be known as a fierce competitor with a considerable temper and quite an ability to hold a grudge...but also as a fairly reasonable woman who strived to be as good as she could be in her chosen field. A woman who loved and respected professional wrestling and contributed greatly to it. A woman who could have friends and relationships.
That woman was not in the ring at the moment.
Letting out another scream of rage, Victoria reached back and grabbed a handful of Layla's hair. Then she bent forward suddenly, pulling at Layla at the same time so that the smaller woman flipped forward off Victoria's back. It was an inelegant but effective way to break out of the sleeper hold.
Being so fatigued, Layla was slow to rise off the mat after being slammed onto it. Victoria was able to use that time to throw off any after effects of being in the sleeper hold. Thus she was ready when Layla finally regained her feet. She charged the smaller woman and swept her outstretched arm to catch Layla right in the throat.
"What a clothesline!" Ivory shouted.
"Damn straight," JBL chimed in. "That was worthy of...well, it was worthy of me!" Though an egocentric statement, it was also high praise. JBL's dreaded Clothesline from Hell had given him victories over some of the biggest names in wrestling over the years, but the one that Victoria had just delivered to Layla looked equally as devastating. Indeed, it didn't simply knock Layla to the mat, it sent her head and upper body crashing down so hard that her legs folded over her as she went. She wound up completing a backwards somersault and ended up laying face down on the canvas.
But rather than following up her attack, Victoria simply stood and cocked her head oddly to one side. She raised her hands to either side of her head and ran her fingers through her long black hair while an expression of pure insanity appeared on her face.
"Oh yeah," JBL commented. "Classic Psycho-Diva, right there."
Ivory, who was not taking this development as light heartedly as JBL, spoke in a more serious tone. "Yes, but standing and posing isn't going to win her the match. She needs to snap out of this."
"You've got a point," he conceded. "Oh, but it looks likes she's getting back to business now."
Indeed, Victoria stopped posing and advanced on Layla's prone form. She picked up the British beauty from the mat and then hefted her onto her shoulders with ease.
"Spider's Web!" Ivory called out as Victoria hit one of her signature moves and then covered the seemingly unconscious Layla for the three count.
"And it's over!" JBL exclaimed. "Victoria is the FWF World Champion!"
The audience cheered. Even though Victoria had undergone a rather disturbing transformation during the match, the fans were still excited that the amazing night of wrestling had finally reached a conclusion.
Yet Victoria was lost and confused. For as the referee raised her hand in victory, the malevolent look left her eyes and an overwhelming wave of exhaustion came over her. She wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing she remembered was feeling Layla's arms wrapping around her to lock in the sleeper hold.
But now, Jim Cornette was climbing in the ring and holding the beautiful golden title belt that had been crafted for this occasion. He presented it to Victoria as she realized that...somehow...she had won.
Cornette took the microphone to do the honors in place of the regular ring announcer.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to present the winner of tonight's tournament and the Female Wrestling Federation's first ever World Champion! VICTORIA!"
Applause echoed throughout the arena and a still stunned Victoria hugged the belt tightly to her chest. The entire moment seemed surreal to her.
Surreal...and vaguely unsatisfying.
She could accept that somehow she'd fought on instinct and won the match even though she'd blacked out. Ordinarily that would have been a source of pride to her...that she could reach her goal even when driven past all limits of physical endurance. No, the problem was that her purpose had been to win the title to prove she was the best...to be able to bask in the moment of glory.
And right now, in spite of her victory, glory wasn't where her mind was at.
Nevertheless, she managed a smile as the belt was wrapped around her waist. She held up her arms as the fans aimed their cameras at her. She even went over to Layla and helped her beaten opponent back to her feet. Once again they shook hands.
"Congratulations," Layla said. Despite her exhaustion, she attempted a joke. "So now that you've won...are you going to Disneyland?"
"No," Victoria answered quietly. "I'm going to the hospital." She paused to swallow the lump in her throat. "I want to see Mickie."
******'******
To be continued…
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author's notes: Please review.