Challenge to a Scramble (Open Thread)

[CaptainL]

The lights on the ring dimmed, and the crowd cheered as Astrid Ostberg's theme music began to play. It had been a while since the Norsewoman had last taken to the ring - after she had announced Kat Hart and Alaina Sanders as her next challengers to the Heavyweight Championship at the coming Fight the LAW, she had committed to training for the occasion with every opportunity she got. But she had still found the time to defend her title in a couple of matches - and she also had the time to leverage her position in the company to make announcements about the future of the Heavyweight Division. Tonight would be one such occasion, and everyone was eager to see what she had to say!

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As had become customary for her, Astrid was dressed in a neat and professional suit, her title belt slung over her shoulder and held snugly by one hand, but she used the other hand to wave to the crowd as she strode toward the ring, a smile on her face. The fans cheered even louder, seeing one of the promotion's biggest stars up close, and camera flashes went off - flashes that Astrid was happy to meet, standing tall and turning to the light with a determined pose. Then, though, she climbed up to the apron and over the ropes, heading to the center of the ring, where the announcer handed her a microphone to say her piece.

"Ladies and gentlemen of LAW, fans here and around the globe...I've come to speak to you once again!" she said, her first words sending up a cheer. "This time, though, what I'm about to speak of goes beyond just LAW. Yes, this is an event so big, it can't be confined to just one promotion! I speak, of course, of the USPW Championship Scramble - an event being held in our partner promotion, United Supreme Pro Wrestling. Hank Strongbow Williams and everyone backstage have been hard at work making everything come together for the big event. And, as both a LAW champion and a long-time member of the USPW roster, it falls on my shoulders to bring this announcement to Japan!"

"You may be asking yourself, what is the Championship Scramble? It's a series of five-person matches, each being contended for a title. One of those positions is reserved for the reigning champion. But those other four slots, those hopefuls given the chance of claiming the prize for themselves, are drawn from the best of the contenders, those who meet the requirements for each championship and stand at the top of their respective divisions. For the most part, these are chosen from the winners of a series of qualifier matches. And to commemorate the collaboration between our promotions, I'm proud to announce that LAW's top stars will be getting a shot at the qualifiers for USPW's premier women's title, the Wildcat Championship!"

After a pause to welcome the fans' cheers, Astrid continued. "Two of the qualifiers, to determine two of the contenders who will take on Black Tornado for the Wildcat Championship - yes, the same Black Tornado scheduled to defend her title at Fight the LAW - will be held on USPW, with talent drawn from their roster. But the other two will be held here on LAW - and I'm pleased to announce that the names of those ladies you all know and love who will get their shot at the gold overseas have already been chosen!"

Astrid turned to the big screen, where the names of those chosen to participate in the qualifiers flashed by, each drawing another burst of cheers:

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Cheryl Williams

Chris Yukine

Thunder Ryuko

Alizeh Midori

"However..." Astrid continued, her smile growing wider, "That is not the announcement I'm most excited to bring to you tonight. For it won't just be USPW titles being defended in the Scramble. With the blessing of Dan DeFranco himself...one of the Scramble matches will be held for a LAW championship belt!"

The fans cheered again, but this time, Astrid's expression grew grave, her voice softening and her eyes narrowed. "Originally," she said, "this would have been for the Lightweight Championship - the winners of the qualifiers taking on Rose Gold herself."

Almost immediately after Astrid had mentioned Rose Gold, the fans began to boo; after all, their match at We Are LAW - one that had ended with Astrid passing out just before she could slam Rose into the mat, ultimately granting the Lightweight Champion the win in a decision that had left quite the fallout - was still fresh in many a mind, including Astrid's own, with the thought of it causing her grip to tense up around the microphone. However, she cleared her throat, continuing. "However...as a result of her previous match...Rose has suffered an injury to the shoulder, one that will leave her unable to compete." She winked at that, and her smile grew a little wider. Everyone who had seen the match knew why - after all, it was Astrid who had been the one to deal Rose that injury. The Norsewoman usually wasn't the type to brag of such things, but against Rose, she couldn't help but feel a little bit smug.

"As a result, the planned competitors for the Lightweight Championship Scramble qualifiers - Miranda Tomi, Kaguya Hojo, Annie Clark, and Cassandra Selinofoto - will all be folded into a new series of qualifiers to determine the participants of a new, all-LAW Scramble, one where the prize will be a title match against the Wildcat Champion at any time of the winner's choosing. But...mark my words, I will still not let the dream of having a LAW title defended on the Scramble die! It is for that reason that I am putting this - the Heavyweight Championship - on the line at the USPW Championship Scramble!"

The crowd let out a gasp. This was only the latest in a series of stunts Astrid had pulled regarding her title - first it was challenging Dana Ashford to a title match without even giving herself time to recover from the match with Rose; then it was taking on Tina Kelley with the full knowledge that a loss there would cost her her place in the main event of Fight the LAW. But Astrid was determined, nonetheless, to prove she was worthy of holding the honors she did, lest anyone still doubt her after her loss to a lightweight. Now, she was taking on not one but four women , and putting the championship on the line against all of them! And yet, Astrid seemed as confident as ever, standing tall with a beaming grin as she pounded a fist against her chest in a show of strength!

"Of course, by this point, there's no time to arrange any further qualifiers...which is why I intend to make this Scramble an open challenge! I send this message out to everyone elligible for the Heavyweight Division, in LAW or elsewhere...if you think you have a shot, make your presence known between now and the Scramble! I'll pick any four of you, when the time comes - and those four will take me on in USPW, winner take all! So..." She took the belt in her hands and held it above her head. "Who thinks they have what it takes to bring this home?"

Behind the Scenes

USPW is a promotion run over on fanfiction.net by my friend, @TheWanderer. With the permission of Winner and all users involved, he will be holding the qualifiers for a few matches in the USPW Championship Scramble on LAW, using LAW characters. These qualifier matches will be run as any other LAW match, by the users involved. The final Scramble matches, involving the winners of the qualifiers, will be written out by Wanderer himself and posted on fanfiction.net. Your character being involved in any of these matches will not guarantee they win any championships, but they will be featured in an off-site story.

All the slots for the Wildcat Champion and Wildcat Contender Scramble qualifiers have been decided. However, the participants for the Heavyweight Championship Scramble are fair game. This will be open to anyone who wishes to participate, with four LAW heavyweights going on to participate in the Scramble match. If you're interested, you can respond to this thread (in-character!) or just DM me or Wanderer.

[ApartBadge9937]

The lights would dim down and music began to play as to woman came out to the ramp Octavia and Adora

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the walk down the ramp and began speaking. Adora: "hey hey champ can me and my sister have a word with you. You see we were chilling in the backstage area and heard you spouting stuff you know blah blah blah. but then we your putting your heavyweight title on the line too." the crowd cheers and clap at Adora."now now let me finish. Now see as strong as i look I'm only a middleweight." A couple boos go around."i know i know. You all would love me to ses me put a champ in a submission holds of mine. But I can't take her title. But the funny thing is that my sister Octavia is in the heavyweight division so she is her to take that challenge of yours and see if she wins." Octavia and Adora would roll in the ring and look at Astrid wit Octavia in front of her and Adora behind her. Octavia "I'm here to give the the people a preview of there future champion and the one who is goingto destroy you." Octavia would stare down Astrid

[SimplyWoo]

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Entrance Music:

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Suddenly Tina's music kicked in and out from the curtain with a sexy strut erupted Tina Kelley. She paused at the center of the ramp as she embraced the pop she received as she shouted out to the crowd. She was clad in her white and blue stringed two piece bikini combo with her matching calf high boots and her grey sweater tied around her waist. She then made her way towards the ring, giving the fans high fives and swapping sides to give equal fives to the other side. She then hopped up onto the edge of the ring and grabbed the top rope and vaulted over it. As she walked past Astrid, but not before giving her a pat on the back and giving her a grin before walking over to accept the extra mic being handed to her.

"Kelley's Krew, how are you all doing tonight!" she asked pulling the mic away to let the fans pop as she smiled at the crowd. She then looked over to Adora and Octavia. "Octavia The Ruthless! That's quite a nice challenger you put on Astrid's plate Adora, I wish you luck in being one of the ones chosen by our champion Astrid here, in which by the way." She mentioned as she turned her attention towards Astrid. "That's a lovely suit you got on Astrid." She mentioned giving her a wink before resuming speaking. "We can't deny that we put each other through hell when we last clashed and due to some interference that led to a no contest, I feel like we still have unfinished business. It's like in the movie Dirty Harry when he asked "Did he fire 6 shots or only 5." And I'm that person on the receiving end saying "Hey, I gots to know..." You see, I need to know if I have what it takes to defeat the woman that got me to where I am today. So it is with the upmost respect for you that I would love to ask to be one of your challengers. Wouldn't you all love to see that?!" She shouted out as she held the mic up to the crowd to get the pop from her fans before lowering the mic as she bowed her head to Astrid as she took a step back in case anybody else was showing up this evening to answer Ostberg's call.

[LowDefinition]

Soon after, another music played. A woman emerges out and stood there at the stage. Kanata dressed rather casually, almost fully covering her scarred body with her clothes. A mic was held in one of her hands.

Kanata

The music died down as Kanata raises her mic close to her mouth. "Four challengers for that title huh? Well, that's quite the gutsy move Ostberg-san." Kanata opened, she then makes her way down the ramp. Her eyes focused towards the ring. Sparing no attention to the crowd who murmured along as she made her way.

Hopping onto the ringside, Kanata stood there and leaned her arms onto the top rope. "Well, on that topic. Surely there's a room for a veteran no?" Kanata let out with a slight smile, slipping herself into the ring afterwards. "Well, gone are my prime days as Roughhouse YAMATO. As some of you would remember the name I bear years ago in those deathmatch circuits prior to coming here in LAW." Kanata continued, addressing the crowd for a bit before taking her attention towards Astrid. Her eyes drifting towards that belt that laid there firmly on her shoulders.

"Yeah, I probably can't give that prime strength I used to have." She closed her eyes, nodding lightly as she then approached Astrid. "But what matters are fighting spirit. I still have that YAMATO spirit in me." Kanata opened her eyes, glaring straight towards Astrid with a confident grin. "So I will say this. I'm coming for that belt, you best bet I'll bring my all to you. You better give it your all" Kanata pointed towards the belt with her free hand. "And let's not forget..." Kanata turned her attention to Octavia. "Your opponent is not only the champ... But all the challengers that are chosen to come for the belt." She said firmly, just to remind the other challenger. She turned her head towards Tina and nodded. "Same goes to you as well..." Turning her attention back towards Astrid...

"Ostberg-san, as much as I respect the whole work you have in this ring so far. Let me, Kanata Yamamoto... Judge your fighting spirit along with all the other challengers' fighting spirit as well. See whose spirit is more worthy of bearing that title." Kanata said firmly towards Astrid, bowing her head down before retreating to a corner. Awaiting if there's other wrestler coming to answer the open challenge.

[Pegasus]

Shelley Maslow

Theme Song

The crowd started bursting into cheers as Shelley comes out in her workout attire with a nice fresh navy blue jacket on and black Under Armor sneakers on. The Beast of Banks Creek had just signed to LAW as one of the many promotions she had been visiting while staying in Japan during her training under her mentor, “The Witch” Sara Lewis. The former MMA Fighter stormed down the ramp as she grabbed a mic from a ringside worker and went up the steps to get inside the ring with the five other women.

“G’day, shielas. Now, it’s no secret I haven’t had a match yet in LAW, but I dare any one of ya to tell me that disqualifies me of answering the challenge. It’s open to any heavyweight and I thought what better impact to make than beating Ms. Ostberg and become the LAW Heavyweight Champion. Coming back here and taking her place at Fight The LAW would be a treat. Now, I know I won’t be the only woman getting the chance. You three obviously have guts and I have no place to demean you all. But just know this, if I’m chosen, The Beast of Banks Creek is let out of the cage. Caution to all the challengers. Never mess with the beast.

[ApartBadge9937]

Adora :"well it seems we attract a crowd here huh sis? Well all of you can turn around and walk backthe way tou came between me and my sister here she doesn't like extras on the scene. But i can see what's going to everyone of you when Octavia gets her hands on you" point at Tina first. "Your getting put in the tights bear hug ever, then you get a oni headache! @SimplyWoo

"Then you miss Kanata you you will be thrown like a rag doll around the ring, the you will be lifted into the air by the hand of Octavia and hitting the mat as she Chokeslams you down!" @LowDefinition

"Then finally Shelley Maslow. You will receive the most brutal torture rack anyone in this place has ever seen! It will be so brutal you wish you were down under her! Until she would lift you up on to here shoulders and slams you down with the power of a mountain!" @TheWanderer

"It will end with Astrid being pinned like all of you before.... 1! 2! 3! Then she will rise her hand above the Pile body's left to rot with her hand holding the heavyweight champion belt!" @CaptainL

"So mark my words when i say this but if any of you have a problem with that then we got a problem. I might not be a heavyweight but i can wipe some ass with my sisters behind me!"

[Bare]

Tonight was certainly an interesting night, much more so than Lydia had expected. The woman had some big plans for LAW, plans that unfortunately were being bogged down by slow booking for herself. Luckily she found a golden opportunity arising before her with Astrid, the current heavyweight champion, practically throwing herself to the wolves with an open challenge to a scramble match. Something Lydia was definitely looking to make the most of. So with her gear already donned and ready all she needed was a mic before she headed out.

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Technically the only other thing standing between her and the champion were the other women who had already opted to challenge Astrid, but Lydia was about to make her case for why she would be the one to rise above them all. As her music hit and she came out she made a quick, but calm declaration. "That's enough all of you." Assuming things got a bit quieter at her appearance Lydia would stand at the top of the entrance, looking over her competition before focusing in on the champion as she began walking down the ramp.

"For those who may not know me, my name is Lydia Donelle." She introduced herself formally and with poise, smiling a wicked smile as she climbed the steps and leaned on the outside ropes. "I helped make Katherine Hart the woman she is today, partially by beating her ass back in my hey day." As she said this Lydia would climb fully in the ring, her eyes never leaving Astrid's. "I haven't so much as lost a step from back then either, so Ms.Ostberg, you can imagine how confident I feel, when staring you down." Lydia said, a subtle dig to both Astrid and Kat, before continuing.

Taking a brief moment to survey those around her Lydia would offer a small chuckle. "Unfortunately for the rest of you this will be you're last time looking at, let along challenging for this belt." Lydia said poking Astrid's title mockingly before continuing. "Because once I win it, none of you will be challenging for it again." She said before focusing on Astrid's eyes again. "You may not even be able to compete again once I'm through with you." She said confidently, no ounce of fear or worry in her eyes whatsoever as she made her declaration of war.

[Taskmaster12]

“Hate to interrupt after the number passed 4 but this isn’t something I could just ignore.” Extend an offer the way Astrid did and people would always come running. Despite the confidence in her voice Ayame Akan didn’t think she had much business being in the same ring as the champ yet. She knew that despite her early wins she was still a rookie who hadn’t experienced a real test. But after stewing over the offer in the background and seeing a completely new person step up she knew she had no excuse. It was time to put up or shut up. “Astrid if you’ve ever seen me in action you know what I can do and you know that I will give you and anyone else in that ring all I’ve got. That’s more than you can say about some of these people who are just starting out. I’m not going to knock anyones bravery you all clearly have confidence and bravo for that, really. Still I need to start thinking about what I can do, sitting around isn’t going to get me to my goal and if I have to fight 5 of you to get a shot at her so be it! Bring in more if you have to I’m ready!” Her boasts came from a place of concern, knowing she was behind and looking to fix that with a proud declaration.

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[Fairy Dragon]

The match no longer needed anyone else but Amy Evans was never one to care for rules. As Lion played throughout the arena the blonde arrived, slowly stepping out to face everyone else that wanted a crack at Astrid. Amy had fought all kinds of battles to prove that she was the best fighter ever, and kept up the spirit of the Lion as proof of her dominant spirit, but she had never been a a World champion to a promotion like this. She had won main titles to minor companies before LAW back when she was far less pleasant to be around but never anything like what Astrid was offering now. It was time to do something about that, and since she loved a good fight taking on a dozen other people she had never tangoed with seemed like a good idea.

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"We have quite the collection of girls here. Old and new all looking for the same thing." Amy said gesturing to the group that had arrived before her. "But since some of you are greener than freshly watered grass and others are old news I think it's time someone weathered and still fresh came in to spice things up." Amy said getting closer to the ring and this time looking right at Astrid. "You want to make your mark on history by defending that belt some more in other companies? How about you let me get a crack at it? I'm new to you but I'm one of the strongest people here without being someone you faced before, grew up watching or just looking to get my name out there! I'm the most seasoned fighter you haven't looked at and when you get in the ring with me we're going to find out just how much you have left in you." Amy said staring Astrid down since she was the only person on her radar right now.

[CaptainL]

It seemed as though Astrid's challenge had not gone unnoticed among the ranks of LAW's top heavyweights. The Norsewoman first watched as Adora and Octavia arrived on the scene, looking up and down at Octavia with a curious eye as she studied her impressive physique - even if she hadn't dealt with her before, or seen what she was capable of, she certainly looked like she could give Astrid more than a run for her money, and her sister seemed to be keen on talking up her accomplishments to match, even issuing threats to the others present in the ring before Astrid had even announced the lineup. Then came Tina Kelley, who had taken on Astrid before - and who, apparently, still had her mind set on finishing a match that never had the chance to come to a conclusive finish thanks to some interference on the part of Selket causing it to be declared a no-contest. Astrid could appreciate her spirit and determination, not letting this quell her pursuit of the title; she smiled a little wider, nodding to Tina with a knowing look as she took her place in the ring. But the list just grew from there, and soon the ring was full of potential contenders, all jostling for their shot at the gold.

Astrid had been standing by, her arms crossed, as she looked over each one, sizing up the competition. But at last, it was time for her to speak. After Amy introduced herself, Astrid cleared her throat. "Well, well! It seems my open challenge has been a success, yeah? When I made this call, I wasn't sure how much interest I was going to get - but I've got more than I bargained for." Astrid took a moment to look over all the women gathered before her. "I see the whole breadth of the Heavyweight Division here in front of me. One thing that stands out to me the most is that I put out a call to everyone, and I really did see a response from everyone. I want everyone to take a look here." She glanced at Octavia. "I have people here I've never met before..." Then, at Tina, who she winked to. "And others who I know well." She turned to face Kanata and Lydia. "I have the veterans, those I already know the accomplishments of, and those who have no need to justify themselves - those who already seemed like shoe-ins for the running..." Then, to Shelley and Ayame. "...and right next to them, the newcomers, waiting for their chance to make it big in the League, who see this as the kind of big break that only comes around once in a lifetime." Then, finally, at Amy. "And everyone in between. There's only one thing that unifies all of you. And that's that you all feel you have what it takes to emerge from the Scramble as a champion! And, whether I'm familiar with you or not...I still see, in all of you, that drive, that spirit, that tells me you all have a chance."

"Now, under normal circumstances, not all of you would have been booked for a title shot. Tina, the promoters would probably call it too soon for a rematch. Shelley, like you say, you haven't even had a match yet. But for this match, I'm the one calling the shots. None of that matters. And now you leave me with a difficult predicament - who I'm going to choose!"

Astrid rubbed at her chin, looking between all the would-be contenders. The fans watched in hushed silence, waiting for the moment to come when Astrid made her decision. She certainly had a lot cut out for her - whether these women had proven themselves in the ring over the years or if they had made enough of a point by just showing up in spite of their place in the rankings, all seemed to be worthy of a spot in the Scramble, and narrowing it down to just four would be difficult. But then, a smile broke across Astrid's face. She knew just what to do.

"I've made my decision!" Astrid said. "I choose to face...ALL of you!"

Gasps and cries of "WHAT?!" broke through the arena at Astrid's announcement. If Astrid was taking a risk already by going up against four opponents, now she was going against seven! But she grinned with confidence all the same, planting her hands on her hips as she puffed out her chest. "You see," she explained, "I see such will, and such potential, in all of you that I would hate to deny anyone a spot in the match, on such a rare occasion! Taking on all of you will challenge me, but - as I've come to learn - that's the environment I thrive in the most, and I'm willing to take that head-on, no questions asked!" She flexed a bicep in a show of her strength. "It's something the Scramble has never done before - but Hank's given me permission to arrange this match as I please, and so I'll do it!"

"The match will be contended under elimination rules," Astrid explained, "and to prevent things getting out of hand, we'll start with three people in the ring, but at given intervals, more will be let in over time. But the grand prize remains the same. Remember - all of you have a shot at the championship. And to that, I say - if there are no objections, then may the best woman win!"