Red in Tooth and Claw: Ashley Morgan VS. Bengal

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Thanks to Afterhoursclub for having this match with me!

Match Type: 1v1, No Disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere

Ashley Morgan, the Red Menace

Spoiler

Bengal, the Blaze Tiger

Spoiler

Backstage at the L.A.W. arena, Bengal was making some last-minute preparations for her match: painting dark stripes around her right eye, adjusting her arm sleeves and cat-eared headband, testing the sharpness of her long nails. She finished it all, just as the overhead lights darkened, and her entrance music began playing. It was officially showtime!

The Tiger emerged from backstage, stalking through the smoke left behind by her pyrotechnics. Her electric blue eyes pierced through the haze like two flares of witchfire as she made her way down the entrance ramp. Every footfall of her striped boots sent off another round of bursting sparks, making the fans crowding both sides of the aisle scream and scatter. Bengal laughed at their fright, throwing back her head and tossing her mane of snow-white hair. She didn't seem to mind the fiery explosions. Showers of sparks danced across her umber skin, revealing the contours of her muscled body and throwing her grim expression into sharp relief. But somehow, miraculously, she was unburnt and unharmed.

As Bengal neared the bottom of the ramp, the ring announcer's voice boomed out, cutting through the cracks of the pyro and the shouts and jeers of the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a no disqualification, falls count anywhere match, scheduled for one fall! Introducing first...standing at a height of five feet, seven inches, and weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds...from Kolkata, India...THE BLAZE TIGER! BENGAL!"

Spoiler

Several members of the crowd booed, but it didn't bother the Tiger. She leaped onto the apron, climbed to the top of the turnbuckle, and stuck her tongue out at the stands, making sure to rotate her torso so that everyone in the audience would get a view of her rude gesture. Then she hopped down into the ring and took up her position in the corner. Her azure eyes were fixed on the top of the ramp, alert for any sign of her opponent.

Bengal didn't know much about who she was facing tonight, besides the fact that she was a powerhouse heavyweight. That was slightly worrisome. Fighting above her weight class hadn't always gone well for the Tiger in the past. On the other hand, she was confident that these match stipulations would give her a decisive advantage. Bengal enjoyed using low blows, eye scratches, and other underhanded tactics in every match, of course - but tonight, she didn't even need to worry about being disqualified for it. I'll tear her apart, and the ref won't even be able to stop me, she thought to herself, smirking with anticipation. Her pyrotechnics had stopped, her theme was dying down, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before her enemy revealed herself.

[Afterhoursclub]

The lights in the arena dimmed as the first loud chords of Eleine's song "Enemies" blared over the speakers.

Pushing the curtain at the entrance ramp, the macabre figure of Ashley appeared, covered in her typical black and red clothing. A serious and threatening look was drawn on her face. She began her firm march toward the ring, Ashley didn't have time to gesture to the excited crowd, the redhead had been on a mission ever since she first set foot in a LAW arena: to dominate the competition.

"...and her opponent, standing at six feet tall, weighing 175 pounds; From Cambridge, England. She is the red menace:

Ashley Morgan!"

Spoiler

Eyes glued to the small girl waiting for her in the ring, she gripped the second rope, pulling herself up and jumping over the apron, a loud noise as the heels of her boots crashed onto the mat, the whole ring trembling with her arrival. She crouched below the top rope and finally stood tall inside the squared circle.

The heelish redhead glared at her opponent, and with a smirk, she walked toward the corner, patiently waiting for the starting bell.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Even Bengal had to grudgingly admit that Ashley's entrance theme was excellent. Her opponent was clearly a fellow metalhead. Of course, that didn't mean the Tiger would go easy on her when it came to fighting - or to trash-talking. She cast her catlike eyes over the larger woman, searching for a weakness, something to insult or exploit. There wasn't much to find. The Englishwoman had an imposing, statuesque figure, and her face was devoid of any expression save brute rage. She didn't even react to the noise of the crowd. For a brief moment, the Tiger was at a loss for words.

Still, Bengal could always find something to demean an opponent over, if she thought hard enough. "The Red Menace? What, is it your time of the month or something?" she purred mockingly, finding her voice at last. "You don't look very menacing to me." That was a bluff, of course; Bengal wasn't about to let Ashley know how intimidating she really came off. "But your face will be red when I embarrass you tonight, so I guess it fits!"

DING-DING-DING! The opening bell interrupted Bengal's taunts. She raised her hands and started forward, balancing lightly on the balls of her feet. She wanted to see if her barbs would incite Ashley to attack, or if the so-called Red Menace would give her an opening to make the first move. Either way, her intuition told her that this was going to be a hell of a fight, a brutal, bruising struggle against another heel. No quarter, and no mercy. Just the way I like it!

[Afterhoursclub]

The bell rang, prompting Ashley to walk forward to her opponent. She smirked while listening to the small girl's snarky remarks. To her, anybody could talk smack and still end up face down on the canvas, and she aimed to prove that point in this very match. Still, this didn't stop Ashley from firing a few verbal daggers herself:

"What about you, darling?..." the British gal replied " Rather than a tiger, you look more like a scared pussycat about to wet itself just by looking at me!" she laughed.

Ashley extended her arms, towering over Bengal-

"Come on! Try and prove me wrong!"

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

As the two wrestlers approached each other, Ashley's size advantage became even more obvious. Bengal had to tilt her neck back to keep her gaze locked on the other woman's icy blue eyes. She refused to look away, knowing it would be taken as a sign of fear. She drew in close, until she was practically pressed against Ashley's sculpted chest. It was a dangerous position to put herself in, given her opponent's talent for grabs and throws. But at least this way, it wouldn't look like she was running from the fight.

Bengal honestly hadn't expected Ashley to return her trash talk in kind. The Red Menace looked more like the strong, silent type, but she clearly had quite the sharp tongue on her too. Not missing a beat, Bengal cocked her head jauntily to the side and fired right back: "Think so? Maybe I'm just scared of how ugly you look." She drew her right hand back conspicuously, her white-painted nails glinting under the arena lights. "Let me do you a favor...and rearrange your face for you!"

She feinted with her arm, as if she was about to claw at Ashley's eyes - but it was just a mislead, like her remark about her opponent's face. In reality, Bengal had a different target in mind. She darted forward, then drove her knee up off the canvas like a rocket, aiming to smash Ashley between the legs!

[Afterhoursclub]

The heelish redhead had to recognize the little girl's conviction, she stood firm where others had backed away when confronting her. Although, that's probably the only positive remark the British gal would make about her rival. This only meant that she would not have to chase her around the ring-

Ashley had experience dealing with trash-talkers during her career, she enjoyed making them eat their own words. Now she was facing another cocky opponent and she was ready for it. Standing in front of Bengal with her arms wide open, she was practically begging to be hit, she saw the Indian girl attempt to strike and the moment she perceived her opponent drawing back one of her arms, without giving her time to try anything else she immediately raised her left boot to push the white-haired girl back and away from her, she aimed for Bengal's chest with a hard hit that sought not to knock out Bengal right away, but to show her that Ashley had all the skill and strength to back up each a every one of her own words.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal and Ashley's kicks were equally matched, and they both made contact at the exact same instant. Bengal's knee collided with her opponent's groin, while the larger woman simultaneously caught her in the side with a snap kick. The Tiger staggered back, clutching her ribs. She could only hope that her own kick had hurt Ashley half as much as the British woman had hurt her. But given the way that Ashley had been standing, her arms open as if to invite the attack, maybe she welcomed the punishment. Well, Bengal was happy to oblige her.

"That's all you got?" she sneered. "It won't be enough!" Trying to ignore the pain in her side, she started back toward Ashley, targeting her opponent's chin with an palm strike! The Tiger's black-gloved hand was a blur as it flickered through the air. Would Ashley be able to block it in time, or would she suffer a devastating blow to the head?

[Afterhoursclub]

The match was officially underway, Ashley had dared Bengal to attack her, intentionally making herself an open target. The Tiger didn't take long to respond, feinting a blow with her arm only to change tactics at the very last second and throw a knee aiming for Ashley's lower regions. The British gal had hoped to intercept Bengal's strike with a kick of her own, however, she underestimated the little girl's speed.

Both attacks connected almost at the same time, the heelish redhead felt her shin digging deep into Bengal's torso, the Tiger turning sideways in pain, however, Ashley was struck mercilessly in return. A thunderous knee came crashing into the Englishwoman's groin. Ashley instantly hunched over. Both of her hands covered her pained crotch.

"Ough!" her eyes peeled, her mouth was agape. Although both hits landed, it was Ashley who took the brunt of the exchange due to the sensible nature of the spot she had just been hit. Bengal was able to recover faster.

Before the redhead could do anything to protect herself from any more punishment, a palm strike came lightning fast, hitting Ashley right under her chin. Ashley's head snapped back as she was forced to backtrack a couple of steps.

[BengalTheBlazeTiger]

Bengal grinned with satisfaction as she saw Ashley's mouth drop open in a silent howl of pain. Obviously, her "punt between the uprights" had delivered the impact she hoped for. To make things even better, her follow-up palm strike found its mark too, snapping Ashley's head back and driving the larger woman toward the ropes. So far, the Tiger was taking a decisive lead in the striking game.

"Awww, what's wrong, Red? You're not looking so hot," she snarked, as her opponent stumbled back, trying to recover. "Just close your eyes and think of England, honey. It'll all be over soon!" As she finished speaking, she leaped up, securing Ashley's head in a front facelock. Then she pitched her own body backward, trying to take down her opponent with a tornado DDT! It was a powerful move, but also a risky gambit, especially so early in the match. If Bengal succeeded, she would damage the British gal's head even further - but if she couldn't topple Ashley quickly, she was putting the Red Menace in the perfect position to deliver a power move of her own.

[Afterhoursclub]

Ashley was stumbling back, stunned by the palm strike to her chin, and her vision was momentarily blurry. As she tried to recover her footing, the redhead suddenly felt a choking sensation and an extra weight on her shoulders. It was then that she realized what was going on- Bengal had her trapped in a front headlock.

The Tiger was living up to her nickname by jumping on the Englishwoman like wounded prey, however, Ashley would be damned if she was going to let Bengal get away with it so easily. The heelish redhead planted one foot firmly on the ground and wrapped both arms around the Indian girl's torso, she squeezed tightly.

"Gotcha, Kitty-cat!" Ashley said in an eerie tone. She then proceeded to jump back using all of her core strength, making a perfect bridge with her body and slamming Bengal on the canvas with a Northern Lights Suplex. She needed to leave Bengal incapacitated briefly to recover completely from the low blow and plan her next course of action.