Heavyweight Championship Match: Astrid Ostberg (c) vs. Dana Ashford

[CaptainL]

Dana hadn't even aimed at Astrid's head on purpose; she had no idea that the champion was still recovering from the damage she'd taken in her last match. But now that Astrid had admitted to feeling that pain...all bets were off. She had exposed a weak point to her opponent, and Dana was just ruthless enough to exploit that for all it was worth - like a shark smelling blood in the water, she was ready to go in for the kill!

The Norsewoman was still staggering back from the last blow she had endured, rubbing at her temples to try to dull the pain. She hissed under her breath, her body going tense as she dug her heels into the canvas to try to anchor herself in an upright position even when her legs were threatening to give out against her own weight. With her eyes squeezed shut, Astrid couldn't see where Dana was coming from, and she didn't have time to mount a defense. The crowd had begun to call out to Astrid, urging for her to look up, to put up her guard, to be careful...but it was too late.

Dana shot at her with an uppercut, catching her on the jaw with enough force to straighten her back. As her head rolled over her shoulders and her body lurched upward with a crack, straightening out her knees and whipping her arms through the air, Astrid's blonde hair billowed behind her, and she staggered a few steps further backward. Already, her balance was tested. And from there, Dana tailed after her - and right as she got into range, her arm swung straight for her throat, ramming into her larynx!

The crowd winced at the sight as Astrid coughed and sputtered against the force of the blow. Her hands went downward to clutch at her throat, and at last, she fell off her footing, dropping to her back with an impact that shook the ring. She gagged for air, still grabbing her neck while she kicked her legs in the air in a desperate attempt to keep Dana from getting too close. She was trying to buy herself time any way she could, but either way, she was down - a dangerous position to be in against any foe, but especially against Dana Ashford!

[PrinceArjuna332]

The sheer impact of the lariat was enough to bring Astrid down onto her back, and Dana panted, standing over the downed form of the champion. She considered what to do next, seeing how damaging her attack was. She considered dealing another attack on her to ensure that the champion wouldn't be able to rise back, but in her exhaustion, she decided that she might as well call this an end and bring herself down to pin her opponent. Dana placed herself on top of Astrid, hooking one of her legs with her arm as the referee slid next to them to start counting the pin.

"ONE!"

[CaptainL]

Down on her back and panting for breath, it seemed as though Astrid had taken the landing hard. She gagged against what seemed to be an insurmountable pressure on her throat - even if Dana hadn't held onto her airways, she had still struck with enough force to cause the champion's trachea to spasm, leaving her struggling to keep the air in her lungs. And even then, she was still aching from all the powerful blows she had taken leading up to that. Many a fan in the crowd had to wince at the sight of the proud and determined Astrid laid low, writhing in pain beneath her opponent. When Dana got down to cover her for the pin, they could only watch in horror at the thought that the Norsewoman just might be out.

But deep inside Astrid, knowing she had everything on the line, even she was being pushed to the brink...there was still something that was begging her to fight back! She knew it couldn't end this way. Her body was sore, her throat burned, and she could barely see straight through a blur of tears, but still, as long as she could draw breath, she wanted to fight her hardest to ensure Dana would go down - if only because she couldn't stand to lose her title to a foe like her! Not when she had promised the world that she would take on any fight she could, and that she would win - all in the name of restoring honor to the Heavyweight Championship.

Astrid needed this win, because she needed to make a comeback. If Astrid lost now, it would mean that she had been unworthy of the title. It would mean that all of her previous defenses were meaningless, if no matter how hard she fought and how much she put herself through, it was all for a belt that meant nothing when the best in the division couldn't stand up to a lightweight. It would mean that all the hard work of Linda Halloween, who had defended the belt before Astrid, would be invalidated too, and that every woman who tried to challenge her and Astrid alike for the honor were wasting their time. It would mean even Dana would receive a hollow victory when she had bested a woman who had passed the height of her career; even when Astrid didn't respect Dana's methods, she couldn't deprive such a legendary name the honor she was owed.

"Two!"

More than that...it would mean that Rose Gold really had won, that she really had positioned herself at the number-one position atop all of LAW. The very thought of it caused Astrid to wince, and the bile to rise in her throat. If she was fighting for anything, it was a world in which Rose Gold wouldn't reign supreme!

"Thr-NO!!"

A roar ripped from Astrid's throat, but this wasn't one of pain, but one of sheer determination, willpower, and rage! Her face was red from the strain, and her teeth were clenched in a snarl, but even against all the weight of Dana's body, and all the pain in her throat, that were working in tandem to keep her down...the Norwegian shoved herself upward, getting her shoulder off the mat!

The crowd cheered at the sight of Astrid's escape, once again narrowly slipping free of the jaws of defeat - but she wasn't done. She looked up at Dana, and her eyes narrowed into a hateful glare. Without even getting up from Dana, or off the mat, Astrid reached to grab her by the shoulder with one hand, while her other hand balled into a fist to swing at the Smiling Demon's ribs! Astrid wasn't trying to escape - breaking the pin was only a side-effect of how she moved into position. Her real goal, as she rolled her weight over to the side to try and get on top, was to make sure Dana wouldn't walk away from this with a victory!

[PrinceArjuna332]

Dana went for the pin after hitting Astrid with her lariat. She thought the move should be enough to put her out and finally bring an end to her tenure as the heavyweight champion. Of course, Dana wasn't going to relax, not before she could hear the third count. As a veteran in this industry, she knew better than to relax before her victory was all assured.

Dana waited in anticipation for the third count that would mark her win over the younger woman. She had to admit that despite her youth, Astrid was a formidable opponent. Still, she honestly thought that she still needed more to learn. Someone like her would need more humbling before she could stand at the peak over everyone else.

But then, Astrid kick out. It was a near fall, but Astrid managed to kick out. Dana was bewildered for a second, a surprised look was on her face when Astrid broke the pin. But before she could do anything, she received a harsh punch to her ribs. "GHHHH!!" She grunted in pain, and she had to roll away from Astrid as she held onto her side.

Gasping and panting, Dana would get herself on her knees, breathing heavily as she would then force herself to get herself up. It seemed that Astrid refused to stay down. Gritting her teeth, Dana directed a glare at the younger woman who refused to learn her lessons. If she wanted to be so stupidly stubborn about it, then Dana would be the one to put the harsh lesson straight to her brain after this.

"Y-you little... ghhhh..."

[CaptainL]

By all means, Astrid should have taken the fall. She had taken a beating, and the blow to her throat had all but left her spasming and struggling to do so much as move air through her lungs. Not to mention that just a moment before that she had been hit on the head, rattling her skull and bringing all the aches she hadn't quite recovered from after her match with Rose Gold back to the surface as her vision began to swim in circles around her and her body went numb. When she went down, her body was stiff and heavy, and she had barely showed any response as Dana got on top of her to go for the pin. No one would have been surprised if Astrid had been counted out then and there.

But Astrid was tough. And if she wasn't tough enough already, she was all the more motivated to push herself to new heights when it was in the name of something she valued as dearly as the Heavyweight Championship, and the weight it carried! It was that determination, that sheer refusal to be proven wrong, that carried Astrid through kicking out of the pin, and through forcing Dana over to punch at her side. She was through being pushed around. She was through with her title being pushed around, too - now, all she wanted was to prove to Dana once and for all that she wouldn't let herself be underestimated.

Astrid had felt her first punch land; even now, she could feel the residual ache in her knuckles from where they had buried themselves in Dana's ribs. But that wasn't going to be enough for her - she was only getting started. The Norsewoman was already getting another punch lined up by the time Dana shoved herself out from under her and rose to her knees; when Astrid's fist flew, it only struck at the air. But that did little to temper Astrid's anger - and when she turned to look back up at Dana, her brow furrowed and her teeth clenched in a snarl.

Dana might have been trying to get up, but Astrid wouldn't let her - she threw herself forward, going to tackle the Smiling Demon to the ground! If she could get her on her back, she would move to crawl on top of her, her fists swinging as she tried to pound them again and again into the challenger's face. Astrid wasn't even trying to win the match any more - she just wanted to shut Dana up. And if Dana wanted to get away, Astrid just had to set the matter right.

[PrinceArjuna332]

Even as Dana tried to get away, Astrid refused to let her to do so as she went to tackle her down onto the mat, preventing her from getting away. "NGHH!!" Before Dana could do anything, Astrid then proceeded to start pounding at her face with her fist! Each strike was powerful and brutal. Dana had no choice but to bring her arms up in her attempt to block those punches.

Still, due to her position as well as the intensity of Astrid's attacks, she couldn't block them all, and her head was ringing from all those punches she took to her face. Letting out a growl, Dana decided that she needed to stop this young woman from brutalizing her even more by trying to punch back at her, aiming at her face. It might be difficult due to her position, but she wasn't going to let herself take all those hits without hitting back.

"RRGHHHH!!"

[CaptainL]

Astrid wasn't going to let Dana get away with this. No, she had so much more in store for the Smiling Demon, and she wasn't going to let anything interrupt it! Dana had plenty she needed to pay for, and Astrid wasn't about to let her go free without ensuring she had taken a beating worthy of her sins. Not even as Dana brought up her arms to defend herself did Astrid slow her assault - she threw a few more punches against Dana's arms all the same, pounding her forearms relentlessly with her knuckles!

What would finally break the flow of Astrid's momentum would come when Dana shot a punch off at the Norsewoman. It caught her in the side of the jaw, causing her head to turn to the side with a snap, and her head followed as she reeled back. She gasped in shock as it hit, as though the very thought of Dana actually being able to hit her was enough to catch her by surprise - lost in the intensity of her anger, she hadn't counted on her actually striking back!

But this would only last for a moment. It wouldn't take long for Astrid to realize she couldn't afford to let up her attack on Dana - just one punch wouldn't be enough to stop her! She bit her lip, steadying herself as her fist clenched and her muscles rippled. She would be quick to throw herself back into the action, letting loose a roar of sheer animal rage as she threw a fist even harder, right at Dana's face! If there was any saving grace for Dana, it was that her attempt at escape had slowed Astrid down, and she'd have time to adjust her position in the meantime - especially when Astrid's aim would be less than exact when she was this enraged.

[PrinceArjuna332]

Dana managed to land a punch right at Astrid's face, but that wasn't enough to stop her from launching her own attack as she threw a massive one aimed to her face, roaring like a wild animal as she did so. Her fist impacted against Dana's face, pretty close to the nose. And the sheer force of the punch seemed to have rattled Dana quite greatly as she struggled to maintain her footing, disoriented by the powerful punch that she had just received.

Dana's eyes were unfocused, and she staggered back as she tried to put some distance between herself and her opponent. And the commentators started to note that her nose was bleeding, possibly due to the strike that she had just received. Of course, Dana refused to fall down, trying her best to stay on her feet despite the predicament she was in.

[CaptainL]

Astrid and Dana had both exchanged punches, and both had hit hard. The champion had decided from the moment she'd felt Dana's knuckles bury themselves into her face that she couldn't imagine letting the Smiling Demon outdo her, and she had to more than pay her back when it was her turn to strike. Dana went staggering back from the blow, a trickle of blood running down her nose. Astrid herself had hardly come away from the clash unscathed - she stood hunkered over forward, her shoulders tense and heaving up and down with each pant she took to collect her breath. A bruise had spread across her cheek, still reddening her pale skin. But even if she'd taken the blow head-on, Dana was still standing, her heels buried into the canvas beneath her. And so too, Astrid wouldn't let herself go down. She couldn't yield to a foe like the one she faced now!

Her teeth clenched and her hands balled into fists as she stared her opponent down through a narrowed glare. Ordinarily, Astrid would have been impressed to know that she was up against such a strong foe. But she couldn't commend Dana on anything now. She was still fueled by her rage; her desire to get even was fueling every move she made!

Snorting a gout of hot air from her nostrils like a charging bull, Astrid planted her foot down firmly against the mat as she took a step closer to Dana. She might have ached, and her knees might have buckled under the weight of fatigue, but she couldn't let this stop her now; Dana still hadn't reaped the consequences of her deeds! As she closed the distance on the challenger, Astrid would attempt to throw her arms around Dana's sides, looking to get them locked around her waist; if successful, she would try to lift her from the mat, slinging her backward for a German suplex!

[PrinceArjuna332]

Dana was disoriented, though she remained on her feet, refusing to fall down if she could help it. But she was in a rather precarious position before Astrid, who would surely take advantage of her current state. Dana looked at the direction of the current heavyweight champion, but she couldn't quite focus on her, with her head still throbbing and her body still hurting from everything that she had taken so far. But the veteran was made of sterner stuff, and she wasn't going to let herself be rolled over without a fight.

Of course, due to her current state, Dana was unable to stop Astrid from coming to her and grabbing her from behind. Dana could tell what Astrid was planning here, and she was unable to act on it Astrid wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. She gritted her teeth, trying to bring her hands onto Astrid's arms, but it was for naught as the champion then executed her next move, which was a German suplex, hoisting her body up into the air before sending her onto the mat, landing on the back of her shoulders and head!

"AARGHHHH!!"

Dana cried out from the impact. Her body folded up, her backside sticking up in the air. She was left absolutely stunned from the German suplex. Her hair splayed on the mat. It was uncertain whether she could get up from this or not.