Chapter 101 (XAW Announcements)
The hotel ballroom was full of beautiful fighters of all shapes and sizes plus some others. Some of the people there were Xtrema wrestlers and visiting fighters. All the others were their guests. Everyone had a long, relaxing day to replenish and recover from the tag team matches the other day.
Poison wasn't mingling. She just took a nice sip of wine from the fountain at the center. Sadly, her moment of peace was cut short when her former partner and client stomped toward her.
"I have a bone to pick with you." Diana Diaz growled silently. She grabbed her ex-manager's arm and held her in place. "You made a big mistake leaving me in the ring like that."
"My only mistake was getting involved with you at all." Poison said. "I joined you because I honestly thought you and I would make an unstoppable team. But you keep dropping the ball and taking credit for literally everything. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer a partner who knows that there is no I in team, or at least spell I."
Diaz growled angrily preparing to attack Poison. However, the gangster stopped her by pointing at the security posted around the ballroom. Diaz remembered how much trouble she'd be in if she'd attack. So she reluctantly let go.
"So what's the plan now?" Diaz asked. "Are you really going to quit Xtrema? That's pretty cowardly if you ask me."
"Are you kidding me?" Poison asked. "Xtrema is basically the foundation to a new generation of female wrestling. I'd be stupid to not be a part of it. So instead of you, I'll just find another partner, one who has better people skills than you. Although, that's like finding a warmer ice cube. It's so easy. And if I was holding a mic, this will be the part where I drop it." Poison turned and walked away leaving her ex-client with a burning anger inside.
In another part of the ballroom, Dawn Sawyer was talking with Kaito Marx over a glass of punch.
"How are you doing?" Dawn asked.
"Good as new, actually." Kaito replied.
"You sure? The League of Evil got really nasty with you."
"I know, but the infirmary here is quite legendary." Kaito suddenly looked a little shook much to his girlfriend's confusion. "Well… I'd talk more, but it looks like the Wicked Witch of the West came for her ruby slippers."
Dawn was confused until she turned around. Much to her chagrin, Queen Elizabeth towered a whole head above her.
"Hello, Sawyer." Elizabeth said with a grin.
"Lancaster." Dawn scowled.
"I saw your match against Hornet and her big friend. Guess that one win you had over her was nothing more than a fluke."
"I wouldn't talk like that if I were you, Liz." Dawn said. "I might remember everything you say when our match comes tomorrow."
"You seriously think you can beat me?" Elizabeth laughed. "Did you remember how I kicked your ass back at Xtrema? You never had a chance then. You don't have a chance now. And you'll never have a chance ever."
"Let's see if you're still confident about that once you hear the special stipulation." Dawn returned with a smug.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What special stipulation?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? Since this will be our last match for what is likely a while, I want this match to be special. So I asked Ms. Rogue to add one special stipulation to our match."
"What is it?"
Dawn was about to answer, but she saw Sayuri Rogue enter the stage in her black, sparkling dress. "Looks like you're about to find out."
Everyone turned their attention when Sayuri Rogue turned on her microphone. Before she began, Rogue turned her head a bit to see Jackal Tojo at the side of the stage. She gave a small smile before turning back.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you enjoyed yesterday's tag team matches and today's day of rest. But tomorrow is the big night. Tomorrow, every last wrestler on the Xtrema roster is set to face a special opponent from outside the organization. Now, if you prefer to be working with a partner, you can have them cheering you on from ringside. Other than that, these matches will be strictly one-on-one. This wasn't easy. It felt like a year trying to find the right opponents for my beautiful warriors. But now, everything is set. I will display the matches now!"
Sayuri pointed to the large projector screen behind her. Everyone saw the screen turn on and a long list of matches filled it. They all scanned down looking for their names.
The match card read as such…
"Thunder Mana vs Viper Takagi
Jasper Jones vs Gurl
Zelda Logan vs Ouka Shimusen
Eris vs Ledy Cody
Black Swan vs La Mariposa
Freya vs Ms. Everest
Willow Powell vs Sakura Hagiwara
Kyoko Natsumi vs Makoto
Diana Diaz vs Lady Kai II
Starla vs the Spike
Isebella vs Dusty Lola
Electra Sinders vs Britt Baker
Poison vs Ayah Gill
Platinum Mask vs Obsidian Blade
Mewlie vs Leodora
Neko Girl vs Mai Nagasawa
Cleopatra vs Asuka
Carina vs Hitomi
Luna vs Dynamite Rin
N-Bomb vs Garm Takanashi
Liza Surkova vs Mila
Midnight vs Rachel Arneson
Clementine Cirrus vs Tina Armtsrong
Charlie Hart vs Payne Fox
Hotrina vs Bunny Bomber
Sam Hamilton vs Alex Duncan
Mantis vs Yuri Ora
The Skunk vs Rainbow Mika
Madame Python vs Bunny Kisaragi
Artemis Creed vs Sachiko Kanda
Scarlette vs Liza Gorgon
Clover vs Aoife Leavy
Calypso vs Laura Matsuda
Amazon Aqua vs Gouda Yuma
Maria Crawford vs Mari the Kid
Mercy vs Natasha Han
Jun Juli vs Kisara Nanjo
Azraella Bloodstone vs Joker Lady
La Calavera vs Maria Hirano
Carly X vs Charlotte Flair
Kaito Marx vs Ran Aeko
Queen Bee vs Queen Elizabeth
Sayuri Rogue vs Jackal Tojo"
Everyone appreciated the matches before Sayuri turned the screen off.
"Now, some of these matches will be standard rules matches. However, many of these will be special ones with special rules and stipulations. And I will explain it to you.
"First, the match between Jasper Jones and Gurl will be a falls count anywhere match, where they can pin or submit each other anywhere they wish. Next, Zelda Logan and Ouka Shimusen will be in a tables match. Black Swan and La Mariposa will fight in an electric cage. Also, no masks will be on the line, unlike the match between Platinum Mask and the Obsidian Blade. Those two will face off in a mask vs mask match. Loser is unmasked in public. Kyoko Natsumi and Makoto will have a standard rules match, but instead of pinfalls and submissions, the winner will be whoever knocks out their opponent. Electra Sinders will face the AEW superstar, Britt Baker, in a barbed wire match where the ring ropes will be covered in barbed wire. Poison and Ayah Gill to go against each other in a parking lot brawl. Pins and submissions count. Mewlie and Leodora will wrestle in a Hell in a Cell match. And speaking of cells, Neko Girl and Mai Nagasawa will be in a steel cage match. The Pharoah of Submissions, Cleopatra, will go against the Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka, in a submissions match. N-Bomb and Garm Takanashi will be a little creative. Their ring won't have any rope and they can only win by pushing their opponent out. Liza Surkova and Mila are MMA fighters, but this is a wrestling event, not an MMA event. So we decided to give them a match that's close enough to an MMA match, a Lion's Den match, where they fight in an octagon cage where KO and submissions are allowed. MMA rules won't apply though. Moves such as suplexes, headbutts, and others are allowed. Midnight and Rachel Arneson are both leaders of powerful fellowships, so they will compete in a lumberjill match with all of Midnight's brides supporting her and four of Rachel's followers supporting her. Four for each though to keep things even. Clementine Cirrus and Tina Armstrong will compete in a Texas Deathmatch. Here, the two must pin or submit their opponent before the referee counts them down for the ten count. Whoever can't get up after that is the loser. Hotrina and Bunny Bomber will face off in a certain variation of a bra and panties match. After stripping their opponent down to their bra and panties, they must then pin or submit them. Sam Hamilton and Alex Duncan will have an unorthodox match where the two will roleplay a wrestling match as characters in the visiting wrestler's self-made comic book series. Alex Duncan will play the role of her main protagonist, Captain Fabulous, and Sam Hamilton will play the role of her archnemesis, Dark Mask. Although the story is make-believe, the match will be real. The winner is unscripted. Moving on. Mantis will face off against Yuri Ora in a match similar to a fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament. They stand on a large, square surface with no ropes. No weapons or killing allowed. The only way to win is either knockout or sending the opponent out of the stage. Coming up next is the Skunk vs Rainbow Mika. These two will face in a stinkface match, as in the only way to win will be to apply the stinkface move on your opponent. And to make it more interesting, we will be making it 2 out of 3. Stinkface your opponent twice to win. Artemis Creed and Sachiko Kanda both have strong boxing backgrounds and styles, so they will compete in a match that has a similar winning condition as boxing: a last woman standing match. Clover and Aoifey Leavy's match will be no disqualifications. Maria Crawford and Mari the Kid will face off in an Extreme Rules match. Mercy, the wrestler from Germany, and Natasha Han, the wrestler from Russia, will represent their respective countries in a flag match. Azraella Bloodstone will take on Joker Lady in an inferno match. La Calavera and Maria Hirano will have themselves a ladder match. They will race above the ring where a pinata will be hung along with a stick. Whoever bashes it open first wins. Carly X and Charlotte Flair will compete in a standard rules match, but it will be 2 out of 3. Our only male wrestler, Kaito Marx, will compete in an I Quit match against Ran Aeko. It's a No DQ match where the only way to win is to make your opponent say the words 'I Quit'. Queen Bee and Queen Elizabeth will have a standard rules match, but it will have a stipulation requested by Bee herself. Whoever loses will have to kiss the foot of the winner in front of everyone. Lastly, me and Jackal Tojo will compete in a match that will probably be our best yet. The two of us will compete in an Iron Woman match which will last for one whole hour. Whoever has the most wins by the end of the clock wins the whole main event. That's right about it. Everyone, enjoy the rest of your evening and I will see you all tomorrow."
Sayuri left the stage leaving everyone talking among each other about what she announced. Queen Elizabeth turned her surprised face over to Dawn and burst out a loud laughter.
"You're serious?! HAHAHA! You actually put a 'kiss my foot' stipulation into our match? What, do you have a fetish for being publicly humiliated by a much stronger woman?"
"Laugh all you want, Lancaster," Dawn said, "But I've trained nearly my entire career to beating you and Beatrice. Now that she's defeated, all that's left is you. Since this will be when I avenge the Queen Bee gym, I want to top it off with something special."
Elizabeth placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder and leaned in toward her face. "You're getting cocky again. I will enjoy defeating you again alone, but having you kiss my foot will be the icing on your humiliation. When I'm done with you, you'll be so ashamed, you'll never set foot in the ring again." She turned to Kaito. "Wish her good luck, arm candy. She's going to need it." Elizabeth released Dawn's shoulder and walked away.
"Yeesh. That woman is really intimidating." Kaito said. "You sure you don't need me with you?"
"Wish that was so, but no." Dawn said. "This is between me and Liz now. Besides, you'll be just done with your I Quit match. That can get quite brutal and I honestly don't know if you'll be fit right after that."
"All right." Kaito said. "That reminds me, I should find this Ran girl and see why she chose this match."
"Okay. But remember, if I catch you flirting with that busty bimbo, I'm breaking your legs."
Kaito chuckled nervously before heading across the ballroom.
Meanwhile, Liza Surkova felt her head vein pulsing hard as soon as Mila approached her.
"Liza, I still can't believe it's you." Mila said friendly. "Hey, you're not still mad about…"
"You beating me?" Liza interrupted. "Da. I'm very livid about that."
"Look, I know it was hard for you…"
"You don't know nothing. The higher-ups in the MMA organization have been looking for a reason to kick me out just because they didn't like how I dominated the cage. Before they beat me, they made me sign a contract that forced me to retire from the octagon after I lost to you. So yes, I am so looking forward to this."
Mila's friendly demeanor lowered into a frown. "Liza, I… I'm sorry. I had no…"
"Don't talk to me." Liza growled. "The next time we meet, I will be bashing your face on all eight sides of the Lion's Den."
Meanwhile, Freya was on her own search. She was very much curious about her mysterious, masked opponent, Ms. Everest. Freya actually caught a glimpse of her, but she disappeared as she headed out of the ballroom.
Meanwhile, Sakura Hagiwara was unfortunate to come across Willow Powell. They both gave hard glares at each other.
"Oh. It's you." Willow scoffed. "Look, if you know what's good for you, you better not show up for our match tomorrow. Wouldn't want to waste my time on you again."
"Not going to happen, Powell." Sakura said. "Honestly, I'm glad our rematch got approved."
"That's right, Sakura. You tell her." Said the pop star's best friend and rival, Elena. She showed up right next to her.
"Oh, look. If it isn't ze Blue Panther." Willow said. "Didn't you try to get zis brat to quit wrestling?"
"This has nothing to do with me." Elena said. "I'm just here as Sakura's plus one. And I'm going to have front row seats when she beats you. She's not the same girl you faced before."
"Oui, she is." Willow said before turning her attention to Sakura. "Just because you haven't given up in a while, it doesn't mean you won't give up again. And when you do, your feeling of helplessness will return and you'll return to your pathetic waste where you belong. Au revoir." Willow turned away.
Sakura growled. "I'm so going to take her down."
"And I'll always support you." Elena said.
"You did what?" Platinum Mask asked her master.
"Technically, I didn't do it." Eris said. "It was all Obsidian Mask's idea. She came to me and demanded for me to allow a mask vs mask match between you and her. I actually liked the idea, so I a presented it to Sayuri Rogue. Guess she liked it too."
"Are you insane?"
"Tsk, tsk. That's no way to speak to your goddess."
"If that woman wins, my identity will be exposed!" Platinum Mask growled.
"Oh, I know. Which is going to motivate you into working harder to win," Eris said stroking her slave's head, "By any means necessary."
Meanwhile, upon meeting, Clementine Cirrus and Tina Armstrong embraced each other in a big hug.
"Guess the next time we meet, I'm applying this to you as tightly as I can." Clementine said.
Tina laughed. "Good luck with that. I've tangled with various fighters in a few DOA Tournaments, including my daddy."
"I know." Clementine said. "That's what I'm going to enjoy about this match."
In another part of the ballroom, Sam Hamilton and Alex Duncan were comparing notes.
"So tell me about Dark Mask again." Sam said.
"Well, she's a luchadora who absorbs the powers and strengths of people she beats. She can also create and manipulate spikey vines. You sure your tailor can make the costume in time?"
"Trust me. There is nothing that Claude can't make in just a night. A good tailor and a good friend."
"Friend, huh?" Alex asked. "Is that all he is?"
"Of course. What else?"
"Well, after seeing how he looked at you last time we met, I kinda saw something in his eyes."
Sam looked confused for a moment. "Hold on. Are you seriously suggesting that Claude might have a crush on me?"
"I'm just saying, that's how it looks to me." Alex said.
Sam took a moment to process.
Clover found Scarlette leaning at the ballroom doorway and approached her. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was just thinking of my family."
"If you're worried about them seeing you differently after losing to those Heat girls, don't." Clover said. "No one's unbeatable. I'm sure your boy knows that."
"It's not that." Scarlette said. "It just seems… different. It almost feels like something's about to change about us."
"Well, maybe it's a good thing." Clover said. "Look, if I were you, I'd work on my focus. I've heard stories about your opponent, Liza Gorgon, and they aren't good."
"What kind of stories?"
"Just that all her opponents always froze in fear at the sight of her. Not much else really."
Scarlette took a breath. "All right. Gotta work up my nerves. After all, this woman's not an actual
monster. She's just a human being like me."
"That's the spirit, lass." Clover said.
La Calavera and Maria Hirano shared a laugh together.
"A pinata ladder match?" Maria laughed. "That's what they came up with?"
"I know it's meant to be a cultural appreciation gesture," La Calavera said, "But it's still pretty silly."
"Amen." Maria said. "Tell you what. After I bash the pinata open first, I'll let you keep the candy inside."
"More like I'll let you keep the candy after I bash the pinata open." La Calavera replied.
"May the best woman win." Maria said.
After a bit of searching, Kaito finally found his upcoming opponent. Ran Aeko was a tall, slim, buxom, and well-endowed woman with long blue hair and hazel eyes. She wore a white Keijo T-shirt, short blue jeans, and matching blue shoes with white linings. Recognizing her, Kaito walked up to her.
"Hey, Ran Aeko, right?" Kaito asked much to the displeasure of the Keijo-themed wrestler. "I'm…"
"Yes, I know who you are." Ran said sullenly. "You're the whole reason I'm here at all."
"Yeah, which brings me to why I'm here." Kaito said. "Ms. Rogue told me you requested to face me personally. Would you mind telling me why? If it's some kind of attraction, I don't think Queen Bee will…"
"What? Ugh!" Ran groaned in disgust. "No, you idiot! Nothing like that! The reason I challenged you was to snap you back to reality!"
Kaito looked at her confused. "I'm sorry? What do you mean by that?"
Ran sighed. "I'm sure you've heard this before about a hundred times, but you have no place in wrestling. Well, I'm going to be the one to make you finally see that."
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm getting better!"
"Are you? Really? Look, you were sent to the hospital multiple times during your time wrestling men. You were almost comatose during them. Sure, you're not hurt as much now that you're wrestling women, but that doesn't mean you're getting better. Hopefully, after I beat you in the I Quit match, you'll finally see how out of place you are and quit for real. Maybe you'll find a job that you'll be better at."
"Now hold on a minute!" Kaito said. "I know I don't have the best win record, but there's no way in hell that I'm giving up on wrestling, not when I've come so far. So what if I'm stuck wrestling women forever. At least I'll be doing my family proud by never giving up."
That last line struck a chord within Ran. She sighed and replied, "Look. I speak from experience. Giving up when you have no chance is much better than living in a fantasy. If you want to make your family proud, then just give up."
Kaito growled. "You know, I was just about ready to give you a friendly match, but if you're going to tell me what's best for me and my family, you're really going to get it."
"No. That'll be you." Ran returned. "That's what you do best, not wrestling. When I'm done with you, you will quit for real." She turned around and left Kaito glaring at her.
Back near the main stage, Sayuri Rogue had approached Jackal Tojo. They shook hands while Kanae Fujisaki and Natsuki Okumura approached them.
"This might just be our biggest match yet." Jackal said.
"I know. That's why I chose it." Sayuri returned.
"Hey, you two." Kanae said holding up her camera. "How's about a smile?"
"Sure thing." Jackal said placing her arm around Sayuri's shoulder. Sayuri did the same. They smiled as the camera flashed. Their picture was taken and the singles matches the next day were all set.
*Xtrema Shorts*
After a long time waiting, Monica Everly graced the stage in her Chibi form. And right next to her was none other than Cleopatra in her Chibi form too.
"Hello, everyone! Glad to be back! I hope everyone enjoyed their time off! I'm Monica Everly, and here on Xtrema Shorts, we have a special interview for the Pharoah of Submissions, Cleopatra! Thanks for being back, Cleo."
"Well, technically, I was never here. My first interview was held by Kanae and Natsuki. But still, I'm glad to be here."
"Great. Now, I'll be asking you some questions. The first four will be standard questions while the others will be personal ones for you personally. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Good. Now, onto the first question. Who was your debut opponent when you first joined Xtrema?"
"That would be La Calavera. It was a fan favorite at the time seeing two exotic women go head to head. Yeah, it was hard for me to keep up with her high-flying moves, but thankfully, I caught her off-guard and made her tap out in the Sphinx's Riddle."
"What's it like facing Kaito?"
"It's actually more fun than you think for me."
"What do you think of Sayuri Rogue?"
"Best boss I could ever get. Hopefully, she can give me more opportunities in the future."
"Who's the easiest opponent you've ever faced other than Kaito?"
"Hmm. Hard to say really. But if I had to choose, I'd say I'd go with… Starla. Yeah, she and her partner are very formidable when they're together, but separately, they're each easier to handle."
"All right. Now, for the personal questions. First, by Awesome ax10. What are your feelings towards Kaito Marx?
"You mean attractively? Well, I won't deny he's cute. Truthfully, I can see myself going out with that nerd. Still, I know better than to give wandering eyes at Queen Bee's man."
"Have you ever considered doing a casket match using an Egyptian themed tomb?"
"That actually sounds super fun. I might just ask for that someday."
"Did you ever consider other Egyptian queen's names as ring names?"
"Well, like I said in my last interview, Cleopatra was my nickname back in grade school. All the boys said I was beautiful as the actual Cleopatra herself."
"Okay. Last question, and this time, it's not from any of our readers. It's about your upcoming match against Asuka from WWE. A submission match too. Any thoughts on that?"
"Well, I won't deny that it would be an honor to face the first woman to win a women's royal rumble and the longest-holding win record keeper. I've always admired the Empress of Tomorrow, and now, I'm going against her in Xtrema Against the World. Win or lose, I'd be proud."
"Glad to hear. So, everyone, we've been pending this match-card for about a year, and now, we've finally finalized it. For a reminder, here it is along with where the Xtrema wrestlers' opponents come from.
"Thunder Mana vs Viper Takagi (Tiger Mask W)
Jasper Jones vs Gurl (Awesome ax10's OC) in a Falls Count Anywhere match
Zelda Logan vs Ouka Shimusen (Welcome to El Palacio) in a tables match
Eris vs Ledy Cody (Wrestle Angels)
Black Swan vs La Mariposa (Dead or Alive) in an electric cage
Freya vs Ms. Everest (my OC)
Willow Powell vs Sakura Hagiwara (Wanna Be the Strongest in the World)
Kyoko Natsumi vs Makoto (Street Fighter) in a KO match
Diana Diaz vs Lady Kai II (my OC)
Starla vs the Spike (Wrestle Angels)
Isebella vs Dusty Lola (Wrestle Angels)
Electra Sinders vs Britt Baker (AEW) in a barbed wire match
Poison vs Ayah Gill (Awesome ax10's OC) in a parking lot brawl
Platinum Mask vs Obsidian Blade (Muscle Hustle) in a mascara vs mascara match
Mewlie vs Leodora (my OC) in a Hell in a Cell match
Neko Girl vs Mai Nagasawa (Wrestle Angels) in a steel cage match
Cleopatra vs Asuka (WWE) in a submission
Carina vs Hitomi (Dead or Alive)
Luna vs Dynamite Rin (Wrestle Angels)
N-Bomb vs Garm Takanashi (Wrestle Angels) in a ropeless battle royal
Liza Surkova vs Mila (Dead or Alive) in a Lion's Den match
Midnight vs Rachel Arneson (Awesome ax10's OC) in a lumberjill match
Clementine Cirrus vs Tina Armtsrong (Dead or Alive) in a Texas Deathmatch
Charlie Hart vs Payne Fox (Tiger Mask W)
Hotrina vs Bunny Bomber (Wrestle Angels) in a special bra and panties match
Sam Hamilton vs Alex Duncan (Awesome ax10's OC) in a superhero roleplay match
Mantis vs Yuri Ora (my OC) in a World Martial Arts Tournament match
The Skunk vs Rainbow Mika (Street Fighter) in a 2 out of 3 stinkface match
Madame Python vs Bunny Kisaragi (Welcome to El Palacio)
Artemis Creed vs Sachiko Kanda (Wrestle Angels) in a Last Woman Standing match
Scarlette vs Liza Gorgon (Wrestle Angels)
Clover vs Aoife Leavy (Awesome ax10's OC) in a No DQ match
Calypso vs Laura Matsuda (Street Fighter)
Amazon Aqua vs Gouda Yuma (Welcome to El Palacio)
Maria Crawford vs Mari the Kid (Welcome to El Palacio) in an Extreme Rules match
Mercy vs Natasha Han (Wrestle Angels) in a Flag match
Jun Juli vs Kisara Nanjo (Kenichi: the Mightiest Disciple)
Azraella Bloodstone vs Joker Lady (Wrestle Angels) in an Inferno match
La Calavera vs Maria Hirano (Foxboy614's OC) in a pinata ladder match
Carly X vs Charlotte Flair (WWE) in a 2 out of 3 match
Kaito Marx vs Ran Aeko (Awesome ax10's OC) in an I Quit match
Queen Bee vs Queen Elizabeth (Tiger Mask W) where the loser kisses the winner's foot
Sayuri Rogue vs Jackal Tojo (Wanna Be the Strongest in the World) in a 60 Minute Iron Woman match"
"For those who's match types haven't been listed, simply consider them to be standard rules matches with no stipulations. Who do you think is going to win? What do you think will happen? And for future interviews, what questions do you have for our characters? Any and all comments are welcome."