*I am not affiliated with World Wrestling Entertainment. While real ring names are used in this series, a different name is used for the fed, because a different roster exists in it. I also did not know there was an independent federation called BCW when I began this series, so I am obviously unaffiliated with them as well. I do not own any of the "characters" mentioned in this story. This story, and series is fiction.*
*Despite parallels to recent storylines, this is actually among the stories I had the idea for before I set this account up back in 2016.*
*ding ding ding*
The bell rings in London's O2 Arena. On this episode of Thursday Night Smackdown, the BCW Women's Champion, Asuka, stands across the ring from the woman she beat for the title, and beat in convincing fashion, A.J. Lee.
The smaller-in-stature Puerto Rican-American had gotten the better of Asuka in their first two encounters: A.J. eliminated Asuka in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble, then beat her in the main event of Summerslam. Those wins may have been to the surprise of many, but not to A.J. She was too confident for that to be the case. She'd never be one to count herself out.
..Until, after those two wins. They met again, Asuka won. They wrestled again, for the title, in a two-out-of-three falls match, that Asuka won 2 falls to 0. The Empress of Tomorrow got A.J. to submit to win fall one, pinned her with her Running Hip Attack in Fall Two. A.J. became unsure of herself. She was so down on herself that night, she was sure she would've lost a third fall to her as well. A.J. had to admit Asuka handed it all back to her, and then some.
...Tonight felt different. It had been a few months since they last faced off. Things had changed- A.J. took some time off, and came back. She challenged Asuka immediately, and this was her first time appearing on BCW Television in almost three months. For now, she was settling for a Non-Title contest. This match wasn't for a title... nor was either competitor's body on the line, as had been the case a few times over the past year. No, A.J. and Asuka had had plenty of fun with each other, and perhaps more would take place again one night, but this match was just about a chance for A.J.- if she won this match, she'd have another match with Asuka, this time with the Championship on the line...
One thing A.J. was confident in, was that she knew she could compartmentalize- Once she and Asuka were in between the ropes, on the mat, she could wrestle a 60-Minute Ironwoman match, and not for a second be reminded by, and subsequently distracted by, the fact that she's staring at the woman with whom some of the best sex A.J. had ever had, was with.
Now, for actually winning the match, that was a bit harder, she had to admit.
"And A.J., the former champion looks a bit hesitant." Mauro Ranallo says on commentary.
"You can see that Mauro, I agree." Byron Saxton beings, "She's fiery, but she knows she can't out-aggression Asuka so what else does she do? What else can she do?"
For the first ten minutes, A.J. had to spend a lot of the match on the defensive. Asuka got a few nearfalls, but A.J. hadn't covered Asuka yet. No way was A.J. gonna get in a striking war with Asuka. That wouldn't help her. A few minutes in, Asuka charges at A.J. and connects with a hip attack. When A.J. tries to get an arm on Asuka, Asuka blocks her with her shoulder. With A.J. a bit stunned, Asuka went for one of her signature Roundhouse Kicks that had knocked other women's lights out..
A.J. ducks. Her heart beats a little fast, knowing that could've been a finishing blow if Asuka's boot connected in just the right spot. A.J. rolls under the bottom rope and out of the ring. She takes a breath and looks under the ring...
"And I don't know what A.J.'s looking for," Mauro calls, "A.J. would get disqualified if she brings a foreign object into the ring."
"Right, Mauro. Plus the fact that A.J. is not the type to resort to underhanded tactics anyway." Renee answers.
"It just doesn't look like she had much of a gameplan." Byron says. A.J. lowers the ringskirt back over the area underneath the ring. As she stood back upright, Asuka hit A.J. with a dropkick. Getting a running start, hanging on the middle rope for leverage, and 'dropping' her legs under the bottom rope, knocking A.J. down.
"OHHHH MY, What a dropkick!" Mauro calls, "The Champion is in control again!"
Asuka gets back in the ring, the ref starts to count A.J. out.. "One....two....three....four........five....six....seven.....eight!....nine!.." A.J. slowly rolled back. She's out of breath, and it looks like the next pin attempt Asuka gets on A.J. would seal it.
...Unless A.J. taps out instead.. Asuka hits the ring, charges A.J. when she returns, and sinches her Asuka-Lock submission. Asuka has it locked in, with her left arm around her chin and legs around her waist. A.J. doesn't tap out, but doesn't flail reaching for the rope either...
Instead, A.J. uses her smaller frame to her advantage, she manages to slyly slip her legs from Asuka's legs, and kicks Asuka's quad a few times, hard enough that Asuka has to release her. After A.J. kicked herself out of Asuka's grip, Asuka retaliates with her signature strikes of her own. No one could prepare for Asuka's swift swinging of each of her limbs. A.J. puts her arm up to defend herself, but is backed into the ring post. She blocks two of Asuka's strikes and their arms lock up. A.J. uses Asuka's hands for leverage and lifts herself up to the middle turnbuckle. A.J. leaps forward, gets her arm around Asuka and swings around and hits a Tornado DDT.
After planting Asuka on her head, A.J. goes for the cover. One...... and Asuka kicked out at ONE! "Oh! And Asuka, kicking out at one! Emphatically telling Miss 'Lee' she's far away from a 'three' count." Mauro calls.
A.J. gets back up, this time she backs herself back to the ringpost. She reaches back and pops herself up on the middle turnbuckle. She waves her arm upward, trying to goad Asuka into getting back up. Asuka does, and when she does, A.J. climbs up, and sits herself up on the top turnbuckle. The crowd cheers and gest more into it now that A.J.'s back in it.
"What's A.J. going for here, Mauro?" Renee asks.
"I'm not sure Renee, it looks like maybe going to the preverbal well once more?" Mauro answers. Asuka eyes A.J. up top, and has confidence in her eyes that she'll counter whatever aerial technique A.J. has this time.
"You gotta wonder if Asuka will be ready this time." Byron wonders. When Asuka approaches, A.J. fakes like she's gonna dive off the turnbuckle, but stays seated up top. The fakeout worked as she lands a kick to Asuka's head. Asuka puts her hand up to her temple, and that's when A.J. sees an opening for a second Tornado DDT...
A.J. jumps off the turnbuckle, gets the facelock around Asuka. And in one swift motion, A.J. spins both her legs to hit-...
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