Astrid Arvidsson vs Katherine Hart - Fight Night

[winner3]

Continued from here

Standard Match: Victory to be awarded via pinfall, submission, knockout, count out, or disqualification

"Yeah...I guess it would look cool...heh...you'll never get me to admit it, though." Kat said to herself backstage as she watched the segment on her phone in the locker room.

Cameras zoomed in on what appeared to be an image of Kat sitting on a bench in the locker room several minutes before a big match. Commentary and fans could only speculate on how many times Kat had watched back her promo segment with Astrid Arvidsson. By now, people the world over had all heard how it played out. Kat couldn't go on social media without practically getting harassed by fans and even by some wrestlers over it. Astrid Arvidsson stepped up to answer Kat Hart's open challenge. Not only did The Golden Dragon make her statement by holding her own against Kat on the mic, she left The Super Kitty laying! She signed the contract for the open challenge over a KO'd Super Kitty! She declared to Kat and to the entire world that if Kat was going to stand in her path, then she'd crush Kat and carve a path through her on her quest to be the best LAW had to offer! And just as impressive as all of that, Astrid had won over many a fan by proving herself to Kat that night. On top of all of her other notable showdowns and matches, Arvidsson showed that she could step up to the face of the company...and topple her, not by taking the low road as so many wrestlers had done before her, but under her own power, without any shortcuts or foul play.

Astrid was coming into this match with perhaps more momentum than anyone ever had against Kat. It was easy to envision. Astrid could simply set up the same combo: a stiff shot to the solar plexus followed by her Jormungandr's Mouth finisher would spell the end of the night of Hart and a monumental, perhaps career-defining win for Astrid! It only made sense that Kat was looking the segment over even now in the locker room. Her toned back was to the camera. She had only just begun to move. Viewers speculated that she was concerned, worried, perhaps even afraid. But as she turned around to begin making her way from backstage to the arena, she wore her usual, confident, toothy grin on her face!

The camera zoomed out to show that just beyond the doorway was a woman with a microphone in hand, a LAW interviewer directly in Kat's path. Hart took her golden belt with her and slung it over her shoulder. The luchadora made her way through the door. She stopped when she met this petite woman who seemed to be looking to get a word with her just before her fight with Astrid.

"Kat Hart, I know you have your match with Astrid coming up. Social media has been set ablaze with reactions to the last time you and Astrid shared a ring together." The woman began to ask. Kat stopped and placed her hands on her hips and looked down as she heard the woman out.

"The whole world wants to know, was last time just a fluke? Or is there a chance that history repeats itself? We noticed you were watching the clip in there..."

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" Kat raised her eyebrow. But her smile remained intact.

"Yeah, I was watching it. I must have watched it dozens of times over in the few weeks. I know everyone's been talking about it. Some women in my position might have avoided the idea of wrestling Astrid altogether. Some wrestlers would be making excuses for getting rocked and laid out there at her feet if it happened to them but I'm not "some wrestler", I'm the one and only Super Kitty Kat Hart and I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade."

"It was no fluke. That Astrid....she's the real deal." Kat nodded to herself.

"Now, will history repeat itself, you ask? We're gonna find out when the bell rings, won't we? Heh....you know, in spite of what happened, I actually like Astrid quite a bit. I stand by everything I said to her...and I stand by some of what she said to me. One day she just might crush me. But I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna make sure that day....isn't today." The masked champion shook her head and looked into the camera.

"I promised her a hard-fought loss and at the end of our match, that's exactly what I plan to give her!" With that, Kat took off.

Her entrance music could already be heard playing in the arena. The whole stadium lit up with cheers! Fans all over would begin to sing The Super Kitty's theme music! And when the vocals picked up, Kat would appear at the top of the entrance ramp alongside some bright white fireworks and roars of approval from the crowd!

Super Kitty - Kat Hart

Kat would make her way down the ramp, occasionally stopping to high-five some of the fans in the front row! Notably, there were many Golden Dragon fans, yet Kat didn't shy away from them. She pointed and acknowledged a group of these fans with a smile and a firm nod before running towards the ring and sliding under the bottom rope! Kat wasted no time scaling the turnbuckles and holding her belt high above her head to draw upon the crowd further! As she hopped down from the ropes and as she turned her belt over to the ref for safekeeping, the announcer would do their thing while Kat took her place in her corner and stretched.

"The following is a match scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, weighing 175 pounds! She is one of the LAW World Tag Team Champions! She is one of The SWAT Cats! Some call her the face of the company! Kaaaaatheriiiiiiiiine Haaaaaarrrrrt!" A torrent of cheers followed. But there were clear feelings of anticipation in the arena. Anticipation of the great bout promised to the fans tonight, and anticipation of the arrival of Kat's opponent...

[skip-stop]

There were no cameras in the other locker room. Only two women. One of them was sitting on the bench, the other was moving around the punching bag. There was silence in the air, periodically broken by the sounds of fists crashing into the leather surface.

"It sucks, right?" asked Victoria, putting her documents and phone aside.

Instead of answering, Astrid took a diagonal step forward and to the right, after which she turned sharply to the left on her toes. The punching bag was hit by such a powerful right hook that it shifted several meters. Victoria adjusted her glasses, all three of her strongest wards liked to warm up with a punching bag before matches. But only Astrid could move it with a punch, not with a kick.

"I don't really care," the blonde shrugged, turning to her manager. "After all, I'm not here to break the system or anything, I'll leave it to Charlotte."

The Norwegian woman went to her locker to get a towel and wipe a few drops of sweat from her forehead. Victoria smiled slightly in response to the words of her ward, although her smile was rather sad. Despite the fact that Astrid said she didn't care, the manager didn't believe these words. She wasn't ready to say that Astrid had lied, but something told her that the blonde just wasn't sincere with her.

Well, Victoria's thoughts were really directed in the right direction. After the significant events of two weeks ago, the Englishwoman collected statistics. And although Astrid said that she was not interested, she was still surprised to find that despite the fact that the ratings had risen, this growth was literally negligible compared to many other similar segments. What was the difference?

The difference was in completely different endings. Instead of humiliating the tag team champion in any way while she was unconscious, Astrid decided not to do anything at all. She only returned the gold belt to the waist of the rightful owner and signed the contract. And absolutely no one noticed it. Everyone turned out to absolutely not care. It meant nothing to them. Astrid tried to hide it, but at that moment Victoria saw her ward's face turn white.

If she had done something, then, according to statistics, the rating would have increased by more than a few hundred percent. And if she was completely devoid of conscience and did something really humiliating, for example with sexual overtones, then her name would be stuck in trends for the next few months.

"Astrid," Victoria said, getting up from the bench. "Listen..."

"Hey, I'm fine, okay?" The Norwegian woman shook her head. "I did what I did not for the sake of the damn rating, but because I am who I am." She put the towel back in the locker and closed it. "The rest doesn't matter."

Victoria stopped in front of Astrid. Despite the fact that the Norwegian woman wanted to seem like an indestructible rock, the manager knew that deep down in her soul her ward was hiding something. Victoria was sure that her ward felt something she would never admit. It wasn't fair. It's not fair that for the sake of the rating you need to do what they want, and not what you want. The Englishwoman took off her glasses and looked into Astrid's lavender eyes.

"That's exactly why you're the strongest on my team," she said. "Many people don't believe when you say that if necessary you will fight alone against the whole world for what you believe in." Astrid raised her left eyebrow slightly as a slight blush appeared on Victoria's face. "And I don't believe it either, do you know why?" The blonde shook her head negatively, not quite understanding what Victoria was driving at. "Because you won't be alone, if you have to fight against the whole world, I'll stand by you because I believe in you and I'm proud to be your manager."

The blonde's lower lip trembled. She could only dream of hearing similar words from her previous manager. During her MMA days, the only one she could count on was herself. No, not just in those days. All her life. But the sincerity of Victoria's words touched her to the core. The Norwegian woman raised her hand and hugged the Englishwoman.

"Thank you..." she said.

"Hey... hey..." hugging the blonde, the Englishwoman laughed slightly. "I have my reasons, if I die next to a viking, I will also end up in Valhalla, right? And it's worth it to fight against the whole world!"

"Oh, Victoria..." Astrid laughed for the first time that evening.

The Norwegian woman looked over her manager's shoulder. Victoria's phone screen was still on and she thought she saw something familiar. Releasing the Englishwoman, the blonde walked up to the bench and picked up the phone. There was a broadcast of today's show. And right now on the screen was Katherine in the waiting room. Apparently it was a mini interview. Victoria approached her ward and it was at that moment that Astrid's hands began to shake.

"A hard-fought loss..." she muttered. "You know, Victoria... usually I try not to pay attention to such things... but since she clearly hadn't learned her lesson... I want to shove these words down her throat and I want that bitch to choke..."

"Then..." Victoria returned the glasses to their rightful place. "Go and do it."

In another situation, she would have tried to calm the Norwegian woman down. As a manager, she must always keep her cool. She must think extremely rationally and always keep her wards away from rash decisions. However, this time she was willing to make an exception.

She didn't like most of what Katherine said two weeks ago. However, she was ready to turn a blind eye to this, because she was sure that after Astrid knocked her out with two moves, the tag team champion would no longer allow herself such loud words. But, apparently, not every blunt pencil can be sharpened. She's the manager. Astrid is her strongest fighter. And she wanted to tear up Katherine herself when she heard that the tag team champion promised to give her ward a loss like that.

"Annoying..." Astrid said, handing Victoria the phone.

Without saying anything else, she left the locker room and headed down the long corridor. In a way, it was funny. Even despite how their previous meeting ended, Katherine still decided to move her filthy tongue and say words that were truly hateful to Astrid. Someone would probably call it courage. But Astrid would call it an overblown ego. Katherine said too much shit last time. And nothing has changed. She was still sure that the only thing that awaits Astrid today is defeat. She said this without any remorse right during the interview. So that everyone can hear it.

"Bitch... bitch... bitch..." Astrid repeated irritably. "I'll rip your fucking head off..."

It was with such intentions that the Golden Dragon entered the waiting room. Contrary to her expectations, the interviewer was still there. No one has ever interviewed Astrid before the match. But, of course, since the champion participated in the match today, some things have changed today. The blonde tried to do everything possible in order not to show her far from the best mood.

"Hi, Astrid," the woman greeted, picking up the microphone. "We just finished with Katherine."

"Hi hi," the blonde said to the camera, smiling slightly, then turned to the interviewer. "Yeah, I heard."

"Ah, then the same question! What do you think about today's match?"

"What do I think?" Astrid moved slightly closer to the microphone. "I think Katherine should get a medical checkup." Astrid smiled. "I guess I hit her so hard last time that while she was lying and drooling on the mat, she forgot the essence of the lesson." The blonde briefly glanced at the screen, realizing that she had almost no time left. "When you say before the start of the match that you will win, everything can only end in two ways. Either you really take the victory and then you're a national hero, because you said and you did, or you lose and then you look like a complete idiot." The Norwegian woman spread her arms to the sides. "Katherine, apparently, is not afraid to look like an idiot after such words. How do you think, maybe she has the gift of the prophet and she already knows in advance about her victory?"

At this meaningful question, Astrid waved at the camera and went to the curtains. She took a deep breath. Since the day she knocked Katherine out, she's been tightening up her workouts. She hoped that during this time she would no longer have to hear shit in her direction from the mouth of the tag team champion. She hoped that today they would meet as equal rivals. But Katherine had completely different thoughts on this matter. Sadly. It seems the Golden Dragon will have to teach her a lesson again. Astrid grinned and hit her straightened left palm with her right fist.

"To the last drop of sweat!" She said to herself.

Entrance Music

Attire

A few seconds of increasing tempo, and then the walls of the arena shook because of the loud chords. Her music began and the Golden Dragon came out from behind the curtains, accompanied by loud applause and screams from the audience. Yes, this time she was greeted more warmly, at least for the simple reason that not only Katherine's fans were here today.

With a big smile on her face, Astrid raised her hands. And when her palms were above her head, she folded them in the manner of a crown. It was at that moment that real flames rose up behind her, and dragon wings appeared on huge screens on Astrid's sides. Usually the Norwegian woman allowed herself such a show only during PPV matches, but since she was now going to meet the great and inimitable Kat Hart, she decided that she could make an exception.

Astrid started down the ramp with a confident step. A lot of water has flowed since she signed a contract with LAW and although, as everyone has already found out, she was far from the top stars, especially in the opinion of these very top stars, she still gained some share of popularity. The best proof of this was that the Golden Dragon had to stop several times in order to sign posters, take selfies and give high fives to the most loyal fans.

Climbing up the metal steps, the descendant of the great Vikings slipped between the middle and top rope. Not wanting to delay, she immediately headed to the center of the ring. It was at that moment the ring announcer decided to take the floor. Her music became a little quieter, but instead a deafening voice filled the arena.

"And her opponent! From the land of ice and snow! From harsh Norway! Her flame demolishes everything in her path! And her ancestors are smiling, looking at her from Valhalla! Five feet eleven inches tall! Weighing one hundred and seventy pounds! Please welcome! Astrid! Golden Dragon!! Arvidsson!!!"

Accompanied by loud cheers and applause, the Golden Dragon raised her right hand and pointed at herself with her thumb. The blonde looked around the arena. They could see the real fire in her lavender eyes. She had been waiting for this day for a long time. And although her expectations were already spoiled, it did not change her goals at all. She intended to win. She just wasn't going to pretend like she had already won.

When her music ended, she didn't go to the corner, there was no need. Astrid only turned around to face Katherine. She had no desire to talk to the other blonde. Judge for yourself, would you have a desire to talk to someone who does not respect you? Exactly. At that moment, Astrid only wanted a few things. She wanted Katherine to step into the center of the ring. She wanted the bell to ring. She wanted to make sure that this time she would definitely knock out of Katherine's head the words like "a hard-thought loss" in relation to her. That's all.

[winner3]

If Kat could be privy to Astrid's interactions with Victoria, she'd certainly have her feelings on the matter. What the two had was special, not in a romantic sense of course. Their camaraderie, the understanding the two shared for each other, the depths for which Victoria cared for the women she managed, not just as clients but seemingly as best friends, was touching. But perhaps it was better that Hart not be made aware. After all, no matter what Katherine's intent or tone was, Astrid seemed to grow angrier and angrier with each word that came from the tag team champion's mouth.

In the ring, Kat was still stretching and warming up. She hopped in place and rolled her shoulders, and as she did, the image of Astrid being stopped and prompted by the interview came on the massive screen in the arena.

"Ah, so she gets one, too! Good!" Kat said while she looked and listened diligently to what The Golden Dragon had to say.

And The Golden Dragon made her point with all the passion, anger, and domineering presence that LAW had come to know her for!

"Yeah...yeah, I'm definitely on her good side..." Hart would say to herself sarcastically in the seconds before Arvidsson made her appearance. And make her appearance, she did!

It was a big fight feel generated by a showdown between two of the biggest personalities on the roster. The crowd popped with cheers and noise that rivaled the hype and the buzz that Katherine's own entrance had attracted. When you show up one of, if not the best wrestlers on the roster just a couple of weeks prior, that was bound to happen. No one could say that they didn't know or didn't recognize The Golden Dragon. She carried herself with purpose. Despite the fury she was carrying within her, the lavender-eyed Norse warrior woman found it within herself to carry a smile on her face. A smoke that Kat carried in kind.

"Phew!" Kat would react with a whistle when literal flames lit up at both sides of Astrid, simulating dragon wings. Kat couldn't say that she had a deep and solid understanding of this woman. She didn't understand Astrid anywhere nearly as well as someone like Victoria did. But she knew one thing. Unlike Kat, Astrid wasn't much for conversation, let alone theatrics. If she was doing a special entrance here, then in Kat Hart's mind this could mean only one thing: that Arvidsson was taking this match 100 percent seriously!

The great Viking wrestler took confident step after confident step down the ramp towards the ring. Between the imagery of the crown and the wings, she looked and felt like a big deal. She even took the time to appeal to the fans. Suffice it to say that no matter what Astrid still felt she had to prove, no matter what she was looking to accomplish in this match tonight, she was making her mark and she was doing it well. All of her anger and her frustrations were directed towards one woman and one woman alone. The Golden Dragon climbed the steps and slipped between the ropes to join her in the ring!

The music faded. The announcer emphatically declared Arvidsson's arrival. The crowd roared! Conviction swelled up in those eyes. Kat's gaze met Astrid's own in much the same way!

The luchadora stepped forward, content to meet her new rival in the middle of the ring. Much like their promo, Kat got bust to bust the woman. Where Astrid looked like she was darn near ready to rip Hart's head off, The Super Kitty looked much more composed, much more levelheaded. Where Astrid had a fire in her eyes, Katherine's eyes were as serene as an undisturbed pond. The busty masked heavyweight wore a smile on her face, which juxtaposed the killing intent that Astrid wore on hers. The commentary team and even some fans would remark on this. Looking at the women's expressions now, you would think that Kat was the one that had left Astrid laying the last time they met and not the other way around. Why else would Astrid be so intense and so bent on decimating Katherine even though she was coming into this matchup with the momentum clearly in her favor?

Kat wanted to tell this woman the truth. The truth that Astrid had all the makings of a top star and was pretty much already there. The truth that the only reason Kat was so confident she could win tonight was precisely because Astrid had knocked her out weeks prior- that Kat was sure she could and would win because she now knew that she needed to take Astrid seriously from the moment the bell rang. Previously, Kat would have let her guard down early. But none of that was anything that either of these two women wanted to work out right now. Right now, they were both fiercely committed to accomplishing their goal: a complete and convincing victory tonight!

To that end, knowing that nothing she could say was anything that Astrid was going to want to hear, Kat could only voice a thought that had been in her mind since the moment she saw Astrid answer the interviewer's questions.

"You know...you're really cute when you're mad." Kat would finish with a wink. Her confident, toothy grin never wavered. The bell was mere seconds away. All eyes were on the matchup and regardless of where their heads and their hearts were at, every fan, wrestler, and staff person watching knew that these two were gonna tear the house down!

[skip-stop]

Yes, she was furious. It was hard enough not to notice even though Astrid did everything in her power to make a smile appear on her face. In fact, she didn't really care how she looked from the side, but still she was sure that the fans deserved a little more than a blonde boiling with anger. Perhaps she was not very successful in this, many noticed that behind her smile there was a desire to tear Katherine to pieces. And was it difficult to understand her?

Of the trio that formed the backbone of Victoria's team, Charlotte had the greatest patience. If believe her words, for many years she instilled strict discipline in herself and thanks to this her emotions faded into the background. Nerissa was one of those who would never get into her pocket for a word, her temperament is so hot that even Astrid and Charlotte sometimes try to watch their words.

Astrid was somewhere between Charlotte and Nerissa. Yes, she wasn't going to deny that she prefers to solve most issues radically with brute force. However, even she had some patience. However, her level of patience had very little to do with the current situation. One of the few things the Golden Dragon openly hated was being snubbed by anyone, especially when it came to the ring.

That's why she didn't say a word. That's why she didn't put her fist out. That is why she did not express the slightest respect for her rival. Why show respect to someone who doesn't respect you? An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Evil for evil. Maybe it was very old-fashioned, but Astrid believed in it. And therefore, at the moment when her opponent joined her in the center of the ring, she felt nothing for Katherine except the desire to send the American woman to drool on the mat once again.

And although the descendant of the great Vikings hoped that the referee would not hesitate, she did not take into account that Katherine had a unique ability to row upstream. The other blonde decided it would be a good idea to leave a comment for Astrid. Because of her rival's words, the Golden Dragon's nostrils flared, and a red glow seemed to run through her lavender eyes. At this point, many thought that the blonde would surely take a step forward in order to hit the champion.

But they've been through this before. Therefore, despite all the desire to hit Katherine before the bell rang, Astrid restrained this impulse. No. Not today. Today she was going to do everything properly. Yes, Katherine didn't notice it at all, but last time Astrid treated her quite easily. It may have sounded weird considering she knocked out the other blonde, but it's a fact. While Katherine was exploring the surface of the mat, the Golden Dragon had plenty of opportunities to vent her anger in a variety of ways. And although even now she would hardly have acted dirty, this time Astrid intended to vent her anger. In the simplest, but still effective way. Beat up Katherine so hard that she would never forget it.

"Let's see if you'll say the same thing when the bell rings..." Astrid said through gritted teeth.

After these words, she looked at the referee. And one glance from her was enough for the striped shirt to realize that she should hurry up and do her job. The referee took a slightly hesitant step forward and spread her arms to the sides, thereby encouraging the women to take a few steps back from each other. Astrid didn't need to be asked twice about it.

Taking exactly two steps back, the Golden Dragon jumped several times on her toes in order to disperse the blood through her veins. And then she moved her right leg a step back, thereby slightly turning her left side towards Katherine. Clenching her fists, Astrid raised them to the level of her chin. Her right fist remained near her head and the left one she moved a little forward. She took a deep breath, but it didn't calm her down in any way. No matter. She didn't really need it. Conversely. She intended to use all the accumulated anger to crush the blonde in front of her. It remains only to wait for the bell to ring.

[winner3]

In this moment, throughout their promo and throughout everything leading up to this hotly anticipated match, Kat Hart didn't fully understand how, but she knew she was somehow extremely capable of getting under The Golden Dragon's skin, even without trying. The commentators calling the match at ringside went down the laundry list of both women's past opponents, feuds, accomplishments...surely the world had seen many instances of Astrid unleashing her full rage and her full might on her opponents, particularly against those she had the most disdain for. But surely, even against the Diana's and the Kyoko's and the Allison's, there was some level of respect. Not for Kat Hart, apparently, though. At least not unless it was earned from Astrid tonight in the ring.

The Super Kitty looked into the fiery, lavender eyes of the blonde standing in front of her. On the surface, Astrid might have been able to manage a smile. She might not have been completely overcome with the desire to drop Kat right then and there like she had a few weeks ago. No, Hart knew that there was only one reason that Arvidsson wasn't letting her fists fly right at this very moment: the bell. Even with some reasons from Kat, Astrid grew visibly annoyed, but she wouldn't step forward and take a swing before the match officially started. This made Hart's smile grow that much wider. She smiled because she knew that Astrid was really going to let her have it! And the legendary luchadora intended to meet her blow for blow, every step of the way!

Feelings of anticipation and hype filled the arena. Katherine rolled her shoulders after hopping back per the referee's request. She brought her arms up and crouched ever so slightly. The masked heavyweight spread her fingertips to widen her grasp. She kept her palms open. Where Astrid seemed to take the stance of a striker, Kat took the stance of a woman that was ready to grapple!

In Katherine's mind, there was no way to approach Arvidsson head-on without Astrid swinging at her aggressively, over and over again. She had felt this woman's fist before. Somehow, Kat could tell that there was even more firepower behind those strikes that she had yet to feel. Many casual fans of this sport expected contests between LAW's heavyweights to basically be firefights, contests between two tanks where they just hit each other until one woman goes down for the count. But savvier people, trainers, backstage workers, and even wrestlers themselves knew that there was more nuance to wrestling. Anyone that had ever taken time to watch a Kat Hart match at any point in her career would know how renowned The Super Kitty was for her technical expertise in the ring, as well as her other many notable talents and physical prowess. Perhaps the Alaina Sanders and the Astrid Ostberg's of LAW would be looking to simply rush in and hit Arvidsson harder than Arvidsson could hit them back. But Kat was in no hurry to walk right into another Helheim -> Jormungandr combo.

The moment the bell rang, Kat reached out with one open hand, seemingly to offer Astrid a chance to engage her in a Test of Strength! Everyone around the arena reacted with intrigue. It was an interesting prospect. Which woman was stronger? Would Astrid shy away from the chance to find out? The smile on Hart's face never wavered as her stark blue eyes peered into Astrid's lavender gaze.

"Come on!" Kat tilted her head, fully expecting Astrid to take her up on this. And if Astrid did, Kat would slip her fingers between Astrid's own before offering to do the same with her other hand. And she'd immediately dig the heel of her boots into the canvas and push forward with impressive force! Pressing large bust to large bust and forehead to forehead as she pits her famed strength to the test against Arvidsson's own to try to see if she could quickly slip one of her standing legs behind Astrid end the woman backward to try her hand at getting an early advantage against a fuming and hopefully overzealous Golden Dragon!

[skip-stop]

Astrid's eyes narrowed slightly as she drew attention to her opponent's stance. As she expected, Katherine did not change her principles and prepared to use her main style, namely grappling. The Golden Dragon wasn't going to protest, it wasn't the first time a woman with a diametrically opposite style stood in front of her. In addition, despite the fact that Astrid herself preferred punches, kicks and throws, she also had several tricks in the grappling arsenal.

Ding-Ding-Ding.

Literally immediately after the referee waved her hand, the arena was first filled with the ringing of the bell, and then with the excited screams from the audience. Considering Astrid and Katherine's last meeting, they expected a lot from this match. But now that the tension between the two blondes could literally be cut with a knife, they were really eager to see how it would all end. While Katherine wanted to cool the ardor of Astrid, whom she considered an upstart newcomer, Astrid herself wanted to show why she was not afraid to challenge the best of the best.

The Golden Dragon took a confident step forward. She was sure that the American woman would not just stand still, but this didn't worried the descendant of the great Vikings. She wanted to check how good her rival's grappling style was and a few quick but heavy punches would help her in this. At least that's what she thought until Katherine raised both hands, fingers spread.

It was not at all difficult to understand what exactly she offered to the descendant of the great Vikings. A test of strength. For just one brief second, Astrid seemed to freeze. Not because she doubted her abilities, but because she doubted whether she should have played by the rules dictated by her opponent. She almost immediately remembered numerous sparring sessions with Charlotte, who never accepted her test of strength offer. The Frenchwoman knew that Astrid was much stronger than her and therefore it was unprofitable for her to agree to something like this, instead she preferred to use her strengths.

But Astrid wasn't one to turn down a challenge.

Unclenching her fists, she spread her fingers. Smoothly reaching forward with her left hand, she intertwined her fingers with Katherine's, after which she did the same with her other hand. And as soon as their palms joined, both women abruptly moved forward. Their lush breasts pressed into each other, and their foreheads collided. Some viewers even gasped as if they felt a shock wave at that moment.

"Grrrr..." Astrid growled involuntarily through clenched teeth due to how much her body was straining.

This was far from the first test of strength for her. In more than half of the matches she has been through, the Golden Dragon has measured pure physical strength with her rivals. And although Alison, Karen and Kanata were impressively strong, she managed to overcome their resistance. This was a fair reason for Astrid to be proud of her strength. However, this time she was surprised a lot more than in any of her previous matches.

From the first second, Katherine began to push her as hard as if she were a bulldozer. The descendant of the great Vikings strained almost all the muscles of her body, especially the muscles of her arms and legs. But although she didn't hold back, the onslaught of the other blonde was truly impressive. And when Katherine took a step forward, Astrid, accompanied by the screams of the audience, took a step back. The screams became even louder after she was forced to take another step back. There were no more than two steps between her back and the ropes. And judging by the reaction of the audience, they were preparing to see the Golden Dragon lose the test of strength for the first time.

"GRRR!!!" Unlike the previous roar, this one was much more furious.

Astrid was almost ready to take another step back, but instead she only slightly shifted her right leg back, which gave her a much more stable position. Yes, Katherine really had amazing strength, she had no doubt about it from the very beginning. However, if the other blonde thought that she would be able to defeat Astrid in this test of strength so easily, then she was very wrong. Strength was the pride of the Norwegian woman and now she intended to demonstrate it.

Breathing heavily, Astrid intended both to direct even more force into her arms, and to tilt her head forward, thereby pressing her forehead even harder into Katherine's. Her legs were partially bent, because it was thanks to this that she managed to stop the onslaught of her rival. It seemed that now she just needed to gradually start moving forward in order to first back to the center of the ring, and then start pushing the tag team champion to the opposite ropes.

No.

Instead, the Golden Dragon was going to start straightening her legs in order to show her height advantage. Perhaps many would find this strange, because it would not help her in any way to start pushing Katherine back. But who's to say that's what Astrid wanted? No, she wanted something completely different. She wanted to show why she was proud of her strength. She wanted to show why she had never lost a test of strength .

And so instead of starting to push Katherine back, the descendant of the great Vikings intended to start pushing her rival from top to bottom. Astrid wanted to start bending Katherine's arms in order to get the best pressure point. And if she felt that her opponent had given up even for a second, she would immediately use it to put even more pressure on Katherine and bring her to her knees!

[winner3]

This was it. The first lockup between these two titans! Kat offered her rival a Test of Strength and Astrid was never the type to turn down a challenge! Not now, not ever!

Both busty, muscular, heavyweight women pushed up against each other, eager to gain the advantage here! Astrid Arvidsson and Katherine Hart were perhaps two of the very strongest women you could find on the LAW roster, after all. There was no hesitation from either woman. There was no backing down! Both ladies charged forward! Their foreheads met. Their muscles tensed. Their voluminous busts pushed against one another as they strained their impressive, statuesque frames against one another! Their bodies trembled as they vied for control. But where Astrid prided herself on outgunning her rivals in the muscle department, Katherine relied on her experience and her resourcefulness in the ring!

Kat flashed a toothy grin to Astrid as she managed to make some headway. She knew full well what she was doing. Kat did her homework. She knew that Astrid had never lost a Test of Strength before! The legendary luchadora seemed to be poised to be the first woman to do so! As The Super Kitty forced The Golden Dragon back, the fans and the commentators reacted with shock and awe!

"Mmm!" Kat grunted with satisfaction as she pressed on! The sole of her purple boots met the canvas with each step as she forced Astrid back, closer and closer to the ropes! Their last meeting was a short and one-sided affair. But in an official match, if anyone at LAW could put Arvidsson in her place, it had to be the one and only Kat Hart! Right?!

"Ohhhh! There she is!" Hart exhaled with her teeth grit when she heard Astrid let out a primal roar!

Kat knew what was coming next, but before she could react, Astrid had already asserted her authority! The Super Kitty felt the full might of a driven and determined Arvidsson! The Golden Dragon began to push back with darn near everything she had in order to turn the tides! With heavy, furious breaths and the overwhelming force of will guiding her every step, Astrid not only held her ground and stonewalled Kat's advance - she began to push back!

"There's the girl that left me laying in the middle of the ring." Kat pushed forward with her head and upper body. She stared into the eyes of the woman who would move heaven and earth to defeat her tonight and shut her up for good! But even as the masked beauty dug her heels into the canvas to stand her ground, Astrid would not be stopped!

The reactions from the crowd grew louder and louder with each step the mighty Norsewoman took! Astrid was as strong as they came. But even in this state, with all of her anger and her focus directed toward showing up Kat, Astrid still kept her wits about her. Though both women had similar builds, Astrid was taller. And she very wisely used that to her advantage! The smile on the tag team champion's masked face widened when she felt her rival lean forward and bear her weight down on her! Astrid straightened her legs as well. It seemed The Golden Dragon had every intention of bringing Kat Hart down to her knees, as if to make a statement. As if to say this is what happens to those that challenge her to a Test of Strength!

"Grrr!" A sharp grunt left Kat's lips. The audience reacted with collective gasps when it happened!

Astrid's efforts had seen her regain the ground she lost. Their pair were back in the center of the ring when the lavender-eyed vixen adjusted her stance and her grip and pushed Kat down with all the fire and dominance she could muster.... Katherine's knees buckled! And no sooner than she began to falter, she quickly dropped down to one knee!

The commentators let off one surprised remark after another as they witnessed Kat hang her head forward! The hands of both wrestlers trembled, not just because of the sheer amount of force they were pushing with, but because Kat had begun to falter. Astrid's grip seemed to remain steady where Kat seemed to struggle! Astrid had proven her strength here and yet, Kat slowly raised her head and stared into Astrid's eyes once more! And with her signature confident smile on her face, no less!

"Phew...! Hey...! Viking Warrior Princess...guess what...?" The legendary luchadora seemed to respond with the same brand of silliness that Astrid had come to detest. Somehow, some way, even with the pressure on her literally and figuratively, even with her hands trembling under Astrid's might, Kat didn't panic. With a glint of courage and enthusiasm in her eye, The Super Kitty raised her head and locked eyes with her rival once more!

All at once, Kat's hands - and her grip on Astrid's own palms and fingers steadied! But only for a moment! Perhaps she had even more strength to offer. But what came next would force everyone following this match to consider not just the strength of both women, but their talents and experience as wrestlers!

"Mph!" With a quick grunt, Kat would abruptly throw her left hand to the side in an attempt to free one of her hands. Should she succeed in this, Kat would follow up quickly! Astrid was still bearing down on her after all. But Kat was far from out of options.

With another quick grunt, Kat would look to kick off the canvas with her planted foot. She'd aim to spin in place, raising the hand that was intertwined with The Golden Dragon's own, rotating and wrenching Astrid's arm uncomfortably into an Arm Wrench!

If she succeeded in this, Kat would quickly rise to her feet. But rather than tweak the arm, the masked beauty would adjust her grip and grab hold of Astrid's wrist with one hand so that she could pull the taller woman in and hook her free arm over the opposing blonde's head! If Kat got her way here, she'd reverse her fortunes by relying on some technical wrestling to go from losing a Test of Strength to pulling her opponents in for a Side Headlock!

"You're still really cute, haha!" Kat would gloat a bit if things went as planned. For if they did, she'd have the side of her hot-blooded rival's head pressed firmly against her ample breast in a Side Headlock in the middle of the ring!

Of course, just about every wrestler wanted to come out on top in a Test of Strength if they took the challenge. But to Katherine and to all the SWAT Cats, they didn't need to be the biggest dog in the fight. They just needed to be the best wrestlers in the ring and in the company! And to the LAW World Tag Team Champions, that meant making use of all their talents and experiences beyond just raw power!

[skip-stop]

When Astrid began to back away under the onslaught of Katherine, the fans of the tag team champion roared in support of their favorite. For a brief moment, it seemed to the Golden Dragon that the walls of the arena shook. In fact, this was not surprising because her opponent had a much more significant reputation than her and therefore the support in her direction from the audience was truly enormous. Perhaps some in Astrid's place would have felt moral discomfort because of this state of affairs, but instead of thinking about it, the descendant of the great Vikings focused on crushing the other blonde.

Even at the cost of incredible efforts, but if she managed to force herself to stop, thereby interrupting the offensive of her rival. Katherine did not stop putting pressure on her, simultaneously throwing comments in Astrid's direction. It was hard to tell if she was trying to distract the Golden Dragon in this way, but in any case it didn't work because the only thing Astrid was thinking about at that moment was winning their test of strength.

Showing off the muscles of her arms and legs, the Norwegian woman launched her own offensive. And when Katherine began to back away, the corners of the Golden Dragon's lips lifted slightly. At the moment when her opponent let out a tense growl, it became obvious that she was no longer having as much fun as a minute ago. However, to the credit of the tag team champion, she didn't let Astrid push her too far. As a result, both women returned to their starting position, namely in the center of the ring.

It was at this moment that Astrid changed tactics, changing the direction of the pressure exerted on her opponent. Instead of continuing to push Katherine towards the ropes, the Golden Dragon began to push the other blonde from top to bottom. She felt how much Katherine's body was strained, every muscle of the American woman resisted the onslaught of the descendant of the great Vikings. At some point, Astrid wondered if she had the strength to win this competition.

But then she felt Katherine's arms start to shake too much.

It was a moment she couldn't miss. Sensing Katherine's weakness, Astrid took a deep breath, bringing down almost all the power she was capable of on her opponent. The sound she heard gave the Golden Dragon a real pleasure. With a loud pop, Katherine dropped to one knee. Those viewers who came to support Astrid today let out a joyful shout, which further inspired the Norwegian woman. But although she was pleased to hear the support, Astrid tried to keep her cool. It was not a real victory, it only gained a positional advantage. Now it's time to use it. She intended to raise her right leg to strike Katherine in the face with her knee. But before she could do that, something happened that was not at all in her plans.

"Gggghhhh!!!!"

Katherine abruptly stopped resisting, which greatly upset Astrid's balance. She had to lean back sharply in order to maintain an upright position, but the moment was completely lost. Katherine took advantage of this to twist Astrid's arm, tilting her forward, while Katherine herself straightened to her full height again.

Gritting her teeth, Astrid tried to tense her arm as much as possible, but in the next second it became obvious that this was not necessary. Katherine didn't put too much effort into this hold. Instead, she quickly grabbed Astrid's head with both arms. The right side of the Golden Dragon's head was pressed against the lush breasts of her rival, but it was rather a pleasant part, because the strength of Katherine's arms was truly impressive and Astrid felt that the other blonde wanted to crack her head like a nut.

"Pppfffrrrrr..." she groaned in a strangled voice, clearly not happy with the current situation.

Wrapping her right arm around her opponent's waist, Astrid also grabbed one of Katherine's hands with her left hand. It took her a few seconds to realize that she would not be able to break her opponent's grip with brute force alone, since she was in a vulnerable position and could not use her strength one hundred percent. As she expected, Katherine had excellent close contact skills. But although this was not Astrid's strongest point, she also knew something about it.

Still trying to pull one of Katherine's hands away from her head, Astrid abruptly bent her knees, and then just as abruptly straightened up. This increased the pain in her head, so she held her breath. She intended to bend her knees and straighten up abruptly again, hoping to catch the moment when at least a minimal space would appear between Katherine's arms and her head. And if she really caught such a moment, she would have taken advantage of it right away. How?

If the Golden Dragon had felt the free space, she would have immediately jerked back, at the same time forcefully pushing Katherine in the back. In this way, she not only wanted to slip out of her rival's hold, but also to make the American woman run to the ropes. Perhaps it was too risky a plan, but Astrid wanted to use it to run after her rival, and then knock her down with a clothesline when the other blonde turns around and bounces off the ropes.

[winner3]

The Test of Strength would likely be the first of many between these two amazons. It was a contest in which The Golden Dragon triumphed, just as she had whenever she pits her strength against her opponent's own!

Astrid was a rare breed, of course. Her strength truly was something special. Perhaps Katherine hadn't been going all out. Perhaps Arvidsson's power was in a league of its own. The way her muscles strained against Kat's own as they went back and forth in the knuckle-lock certainly left that impression. No matter the case, The Super Kitty would soon make it abundantly clear that there was far more to this wrestling match and to this rivalry than strength alone!

The moment the luchadora went down to one knee, sounds of shocked reactions from the fans and from the commentators filled the packed arena! It seemed Astrid truly did command an advantage! But it soon became clear that this descent from the luchadora was intentional! In the brief second that she was able to upset the bigger blonde's balance, the tag team champion returned to a standing position and secured Astrid in a Side Headlock! It seemed the two rivals would continue grinding muscle against muscle, body against body. Hart almost never missed an opportunity for a quip. But she maintained her grip on her opponent's head and focused here! Kat was nearly as busty as she was strong, after all. With Astrid's face pushed up against the side of her chest, there was likely something of a smother hold applied here as well. But the luchadora kept her bicep tensed. She kept Astrid close. As the two brawny blondes struggled against each other in the middle of the ring, it became clear that Kat was keeping Astrid like this in order to keep The Golden Dragon's strength in check!

"Grrrr..uh-uh-uh...!" Kat would shake her head to communicate "no" as her opponent looked to break her grip and in turn, break the hold.

Kat knew that Astrid wanted to create some space. And throughout their rivalry thus far, at every turn, it seemed that The Super Kitty was very intent on not giving Astrid what she wanted! Kat was all too aware that giving Astrid the space and the freedom she needed to use her power was a recipe for defeat. She has done her homework on the hot-blooded Norsewoman. That much was clear. But anyone who had done their homework on Kat knew that the legendary luchadora was every bit as good at grappling as Astrid was using her boundless strength!

"Mmmm... ngh!" Hart would grunt as Astrid continued to look for holes in her technique and her defense. At one point, it truly looked like Astrid would buckle at the knees and go down, allowing Kat to follow up with some holds to wear her down and to tame The Golden Dragon! But Kat knew better. She knew that it would take more to bring Arvidsson down. By the time her opponent straightened up suddenly, Kat had worked out that Astrid was simply trying to create space she could use to slip free. But Kat realized this just a couple of seconds too late!

"Crap!" Hart would feel Astrid's head slip out of her grip!

She exclaimed in surprise and in awe. This new rival of hers wasn't just a musclehead. Astrid could wrestle. The second she was free, The Norsewoman pushed hard against Katherine's back, forcing the luchadora forward, forcing her to run the ropes! Kat was sent barreling forward! There was another look of surprise on her face. It was clear that she wasn't expecting to be propelled so hard, let alone expecting Astrid to escape her headlock with even the slightest opening. But that look of surprise very quickly transitioned to a look of focus and determination! If Astrid could give her such a fast running start, Kat was determined to make the most of it!

"Hup!" The Super Kitty would exclaim as she ran into the ropes with visible force! Kat would pick up an impressive amount of speed here! The luchadora's return trip to Astrid was even faster than her journey toward the ropes!

For a split second, Kat's pupils seemed to narrow. The Super Kitty channeled her cat gimmick and caught a glimpse of Astrid's outstretched arm! With a quick duck, Kat would speed her way under Arvidsson's impressively toned arm to evade the move! She'd run for the ropes on the opposite side of the ring! But this time, instead of turning to meet the ropes with her back, Hart would leap onto the middle rope! The soles of her purple boots would meet the ropes and she would springboard backward, towards her opponent! Fans would cheer wildly as Kat torqued her body and twirled through the air! The SWAT Cat would turn a good three rotations before looking to take Astrid down with a Springboard Corkscrew Crossbody maneuver! And if Kat managed to connect and take The Golden Dragon with a big Splash, the crowd would rally behind her as she looked to hook both of Astrid's legs and fold her up nicely into a pin

Example of the move for reference

[skip-stop]

At such moments, you have no right to be indecisive. Astrid knew that well. Considering how important this match was to her and how strong her opponent was, the descendant of the great Vikings was ready to work to the maximum of her abilities every second of this battle. Therefore, even when Katherine tried to split her head with wild force, the Golden Dragon did not stop trying to break her grip. Perhaps it was her determination that helped her, because, although at the cost of great effort, she was able to both slip out of her opponent's arms and push the other blonde to the ropes.

It was extremely unpleasant that even though there was no more pressure on Astrid's head, she still felt pain. No matter how proud she was, it was obvious to her that she had to reckon with her rival's strength. While she preferred a more straightforward approach in many ways, Katherine skillfully combined strength and technique. This hold didn't last long, but Astrid definitely wouldn't mind a little respite. However, instead, she took a deep breath and followed her opponent.

It might not have been the most sophisticated plan in the world, but she hoped she had enough time to send the American woman down. In a way, she just wanted to catch Katherine off guard by not giving her enough time and space. So when the tag team champion bounced off the ropes, the Golden Dragon was already waiting for her with her arm outstretched to the side.

Unfortunately, Katherine was ready for this.

Deftly ducking under Astrid's arm, the champion avoided any damage. At that moment, there was a flash in Astrid's soul and she had to make some efforts not to start growling. A fighter has no right to expect that each of their attacks will be successful. She was well aware of that. But she couldn't even think that her opponent would be able to dodge it.

Unwilling to put up with such a state of affairs, the Golden Dragon abruptly moved her right leg forward in order to force herself to stop and overcome inertia after her unsuccessful attack. As they say, if it didn't work out the first time, it might work out the second time. Instead of slowing down the course of events, the descendant of the great Vikings pushed off the mat with force in order to turn sharply and immediately gain acceleration. Yes, that's right, she still intended to catch Katherine off guard.

Just like the first time, she was sure it would work. Therefore, the surprise that flashed across her face was more than justified. Instead of catching her opponent off guard, she found herself in this position. The other blonde masterfully used ropes to soar into the air. And by the time the Golden Dragon fully realized what was happening, Katherine's body crashed into Astrid's at full speed.

"GUUUAHH!!!"

That in itself was painful, but the worst was yet to come. Astrid fell to the mat with a crash under Katherine's weight. For a moment, it seemed to her that her lungs had literally burst, and the pain that passed through her body was so wild that a flash appeared before her eyes, while her face distorted. It would not be an exaggeration to say that for a second her body was literally paralyzed, which the champion took advantage of. Grabbing both legs of the Golden Dragon, she lifted them above the mat, thereby starting the first pin in this match.

"ONE!" The audience shouted in chorus after the referee slapped the mat.

Even in spite of the pain, Astrid's fists clenched involuntarily. What did she feel at that moment? Anger. She was angry with herself for letting this happen. Perhaps she acted recklessly. Perhaps she underestimated her opponent. She didn't have a clear answer as to what exactly led to this situation. But she knew something else. Even though she still had about a second and a half to rest, she didn't want to stay in this position for even the smallest fraction of the time.

Therefore, as soon as the referee raised her hand for the second time, the Norwegian woman raised her right shoulder above the mat, at the same time forcefully yanking her legs down in order to break Katherine's grip. Someone might have found it inspiring, but in fact Astrid broke the pin after the first count not because of a sudden surge of strength, but only because of her pride. The best indication of this was that after she kicked out she remained lying on the mat, gasping for air.