Astrid Ostberg vs. Kathleen Hendricks - Rushing Tides

[TickTock]

Standard Match
Standard rules apply. Match can be won by pinfall or submission.

Kathleen Hendricks was always on a quest to fight the best LAW had to offer. Her tactics may be underhanded, but no one could call her a coward. Opportunities in LAW were aplenty, but a chance to face the best of the best came rarely, and upstarts were often put in her place when they did face off against these powerful foes. But the Queen of Domination knew where to pick her spot to face one of the faces of LAW.

If one followed the company at all recently, they'd know that Astrid Ostberg had a string of losses when the light shined the brightest, first in a marquee match versus Rose Gold, where she was seconds away from breaking the Ace of LAW over the mat. And more recently, in a triple threat match for the LAW Heavyweight Championship, losing her title to Alaina Sandra-Hanes.

No one would've blamed Astrid for taking a break, to step away only to come back stronger. Yet Kathleen refused to allow that to happen. She came out, microphone in hand, and challenged Astrid to a match. She declared her weak for losing to Rose and losing her championship, and noted that the heavyweight was wounded now, and that the Queen of Domination would mark the culmination of her career if she dared try to return to the ring again.

Of course, Astrid accepted such a challenge, and now the main event of the evening was a big-time first match-up.



There were no goosebumps in Kathleen's stomach, no thought on if she could win this. In the Queen's mind, victory was all but assured.

Walking through the curtain, Kathleen graced the LAW audience with her presence. Sleek and toned figure, long black hair, and a potent gaze that could pierce stone. The disgust on her face was evident, as the boos came in to shower her once more. This was a woman who made it her mission to crush their fan-favorites, so there was no wonder they didn't seem to like her. Taking the time to adjust her wrist tape, Kathleen then made her walk down the ramp, and upon reaching the apron, gave it a smack with her hands. The ring was her favorite place to be in the whole world, and feeling that lack of give as her hands crashed down onto it satisfied her.

Climbing up to stand on the apron now, Kathleen kicked her leg out and stepping through the ropes to enter the squared circle, walking across it to reach the opposite ropes and leaning her back against it, testing how rigid they were. And her gaze set upon the stage as she did so, awaiting her challenger. To see what kind of woman was setting out from behind that curtain. Would it be the one who had won the LAW Heavyweight Championship, or would it be the sad excuse who lost it?

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

Astrid couldn't bear to admit it - but it was true. She had lost.

First, it had been Rose Gold at We Are LAW 5 - a historic champion vs. champion match that saw Astrid taking on the Sinister Siren. The fact that the two champions were facing off was little more than an afterthought to Astrid, though. It wasn't Rose's belt that set her in her crosshairs, but the very fact it was Rose herself. Astrid knew all too well about the blonde's reign of terror over the Lightweight Division, flaunting her status while using every dirty trick in the book to hold onto her position of power over all those she deemed as beneath her. She had seen the cruelties she could unleash on women who stood no chance of ever standing up to her, and she had had enough. Astrid had challenged Rose to a match to defend the honor of pro wrestling itself, and that was what was on her mind as she set out to silence the Lightweight Champion once and for all. She would no longer allow her to define what it meant to be a champion!

Or, so she thought. Astrid had Rose on the ropes, laying into her with blow after blow that knocked her around like a ragdoll. At last, it seemed, Rose was going to taste defeat - a defeat that had been a long time coming. But in a twist of fate, Astrid had passed out on her feet, just before she could hit Rose with a slam that would have knocked her senseless. For the first time since she'd won the title, Astrid Ostberg had been defeated - and it was in the one match she couldn't afford to lose.

That defeat had stung. In that moment, Astrid felt that she had let down her championship, and that she had let down everything she held true about herself. She had set out to be a model champion, one that would pave the way for what it meant to be a professional wrestler, and she had failed to back her words up with her deeds.

Unfortunately for Astrid, that wouldn't be the last time she had been dealt such a disappointing defeat. Later that year, at Fight the LAW, the Norsewoman defended her title in a three-way match against two fellow titans of the Heavyweight Division - Kat Hart, already a reigning Tag Team Champion with the SWAT Cats, and Alaina Sanders, her long-time rival, who had been competing against Astrid for the title since she'd won it in the first place. All three women had given a valiant effort, and Astrid had put just as much into maintaining her position as the others did to wrest such esteem and status from her - but in the end, it was Alaina who came out on top.

Astrid shouldn't have been upset. She respected Alaina far more than she respected Rose Gold - the Amazon actually had some respect for wrestling, and wasn't on an ego trip. She had admired her accomplishments both in the ring and as an advocate for womens' wrestling ever since she was a child. If anyone was worthy to take the belt off of Astrid, Alaina was certainly up there - and she had won it fair and square. But no matter how much she congratulated Alaina for her efforts...deep down, Astrid felt she had gone wrong. She had no right to lose like this two times in a row, in such highly anticipated and publicized matches, with so much attention on her. Already, the coverage of Astrid's second PPV loss was taking off, and while many were celebrating Alaina finally succeeding in her long and arduous quest to add another title to the list of championships she'd claimed in her career, so too had some begun to question if Astrid still had it - or if she was truly becoming washed up.

Kathleen, it seemed, was one of the latter. When she challenged Astrid to the ring, she wanted to prove a point - that if Astrid's losing streak continued, it would be proof that her once-great fame and success had failed her. But Astrid was out to prove a point, too. She didn't even hesitate to accept the challenge. If Kathleen was this determined to call her skills into question, Astrid was going to prove her wrong!

Spoiler

When Astrid emerged from the curtains, a fair few fans cried out with cheers; the Norsewoman's popularity hadn't faded a bit since she'd lost her title. But this time, Astrid didn't even pay the most adoring of fans any heed. Instead, her attention was laser-focused on Kathleen, and as her eyes caught sight of the dark-haired woman cockily leaning agains the ropes, they narrowed into a glare. Astrid couldn't afford any time for showboating or waving to her supporters. With her hands on her hips, Astrid stormed down the ramp to close in on her foe, never taking her out of her sight for even a moment. The rest of the arena might as well have not be there. Kathleen was the only thing Astrid was concerned with!

"You really wanted to stoop that low, did you?" Astrid chided as she climbed up onto the ring apron, before she leaned over the ropes to point a finger accusingly in Kathleen's direction. "You saw fit to go after a woman in one of the darkest times of her career? If you expected an easy fight...I'll prove you wrong." Stepping through the ropes and standing taller, Astrid stiffened her back and flexed her biceps in a display that drew a few more cheers. Right from the get-go, Astrid wanted Kathleen to know that she wasn't interested in being humbled so easily!

[TickTock]

Of course the vultures would come and swoop in after a woman who looked so strong and so dominant showed their first signs of weakness. Those losses weren't the first in Astrid's lustrous career, but they were the most notable ones, and ones that likely clawed at her soul the most. To first fail to shut the mouth of the woman who had been running rampant over LAW for a long time now, and then to lose her belt right after that. She was at the peak of the mountain, but now she had slipped and making her fall downward. Now, it was Kathleen's turn to ensure that the snowball kept rolling, and make it an unstoppable descent until Astrid crashed back at ground-level, realizing she had to make that climb all over again.

That is, if she even wanted to make such an ascent again. Kathleen went into every match with the same goal: total domination. And it wasn't by luck her nickname had been acquired by her, the Queen of Domination. Such feats were effortless to her, and while LAW had provided her with quite the tough bit of competition, she has come out of most of her bouts the victor. Her confidence tested, but never fully wavering. And thus, she continued to hunt the biggest game LAW had to offer. She put the company on notice in her latest promo, calling herself into action to go after any and everyone she so wanted, not abiding by the rules, and introducing her List of Domination. And after witnessing Astrid's failure, hers was the first name that came up on that list, and the challenge was made.

"It is not the fault of mine that you have failed on the biggest stages of your career," Kathleen snapped back, looking not intimidated by Astrid's superior size and physique. "It is up to you to prove to me that you can still stand up and fight when it's darkest for you. But already, I'm seeing the cracks in you." The Queen stepped forward from her ropes to meet Astrid, peering upward and meeting that gaze head on. "You are not ready for this," Kathleen snarled, staring with intent to destroy the woman in front of her, a deathly serious look on her face. The size game was one Kathleen was used to giving up, due to her tendency to face heavyweights, and having to arch her head upwards wasn't something new to her. She knew all too well that, at the end of the match, they were the ones looking up at her. And the Queen intended to make Astrid do just that.

Eventually backing up, Kathleen did a final few adjustments, tightening the laces on her boots and ensuring the straps of her singlet were snug on her shoulders. Kathleen talked a big game, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that, even with Astrid on a potential downfall, that she'd still be a hard challenge, and that she'd have to be focused and pushing strong the entire way through. But, the Queen had her strategy, and if she followed her strategy throughout the match, she was confident, more than confident, that she'd come out the victor.

*DING DING DING*

The bell rung, and that meant no more rest. Kathleen was already focused, but now her minding was racing with thought and assessment, and her boots danced along the mat as her hands lifted into a grappler's stance, circling the ring. First thing first, Kathleen needed to find an opening in her adversary, and that's where the first issue of size came into play. The Queen had no shot of out-muscling this woman, and thus getting to the spot she wanted was going to be difficult. Still, she couldn't just stand around and wait for an opening, so she went on the move.

Moving in... and thrusting her palm forward to slap her across the face. Not an advisable strategy, to so blatantly disrespect a woman like that with the power to ragdoll her senseless, but it was one the Queen was adopting. It was a sound idea for the strategy Kathleen had decided on... at least, it was in her head.

[CaptainL]

When she stood before Kathleen, Astrid held her back high. All her muscles were tense, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her heels dug into the mat, and her chest thrust forward. She knew why Kathleen was doing this. How she wanted to get in her head and make her doubt herself, in the hopes of getting an easy win. She knew how much the Norsewoman had been impacted by the loss of her title so soon on the heels of the loss of her dignity, and the thought of it was enough to make Astrid clench her teeth, simmering inside with rage. She could hardly imagine anything so ruthless and so underhanded. But it was precisely because Astrid knew what Kathleen's plans were that made it so important that she remain strong and firm. Kathleen, she knew, wanted to get under her skin; to make her feel weak and powerless, and to question if she was truly capable of upholding the success she'd enjoyed so far. No doubt Kathleen was sure that having Astrid in such a vulnerable state would make her all the easier to conquer. But if that was the case, then Astrid couldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing she had outcompeted her, either in the ring or on the psychological stage! If she let Kathleen throw her off her game now, the battle would already be lost!

And yet, no matter how much Astrid tried to psyche herself up, there was still that part of her, deep inside, that questioned everything - that part of her that didn't know if she would be enough. She had been confident leading into her match against Rose, and her match against Kat and Alaina, but she had still lost - now, she didn't even have that confidence. Those losses had proven that Astrid wasn't as invincible as she thought, or that she might have hoped. They'd set a precedent. Kathleen had seen that, and now she was here to seize on it.

But what was even worse than those lingering doubts creeping into Astrid's mind now was the fact that Kathleen had took notice. And just as soon as she had said as much, a chill ran through Astrid's body. It was a betrayal of her principles to even let Kathleen come that close to outwitting her; that she had done so meant she'd failed before a single punch was thrown. And if she was this rattled, it would compromise her efforts in the match ahead of her. The confident look on her face began to slip, and her eye twitched nervously. Immediately, she hoped that Kathleen hadn't seen her response - she already knew that would only embolden her. But now, Astrid knew she would need to be especially on guard - if Kathleen could see any hesitation in her, she would surely tear her apart.

Nevertheless, Astrid stood taller. Sucking in a breath, she balled a fist with one hand and planted it against the palm of the other, cracking her knuckles and flexing her biceps. "You're wrong," Astrid shot back with all the conviction she could manage. "You won't win. All you want is to prove a point. And that point you're trying to prove is built on your own foolishness!" Astrid got a few cheers for that, and it made her nod her head. She almost believed it herself. But she could only hope it was true.

Now, with the bell ringing, it was time for the match to begin. Right from the start, Kathleen came toward Astrid to meet her with a slap to the face! As her blow struck, Astrid's head cracked to the side, and she grumbled as she took a step back. She could practically feel the disrespect in Kathleen's slap; it was enough to make her blood run cold. That move had told her enough about the woman she was dealing with, and how much contempt she had in her heart for Astrid and everything she stood for. But she wasn't going to let that slow her down. If that was the fight Kathleen was going to pick...Astrid would pay her back with more than she had ever bargained for!

The blonde spat at the ground, getting the sour taste of the slap out of her mouth. But when she looked back up at Kathleen, it was with a piercing glare. While the Queen's arm was still in the air, Astrid went to grab for it, hoping to use it to pull her closer - and into the path of a rising knee that she aimed right at her gut. Hopefully that could keep Kathleen stunned long enough for Astrid to do what she wanted to do next - which would come as she swung her arms around her foe's waist, moving to pull her closer and sweep her over her shoulders for a German suplex!

[TickTock]

Kathleen knew well enough that a wrestling match was just as much of a mental test as it was a physical one. As physically impressive one could be, it would all be for naught the second they encounter someone who holds an edge mentally against them, and is willing to use it. Especially in a sport that was so emotional as wrestling, where most bouts were so interpersonal, that it only involved two participants. There was no teammate you could blame, no coach, none of that. While one may be trained to compete by others, may have friends that strengthened their resolve, family that keeps them intact, in the end, it was you and you alone in that ring, in front of thousands, with one goal: to win.

Such a goal can seem so simple in a vacuum, but it's truly not. If such a game of wins and losses were so simple, then this would be no different than a game of tag. No, you put yourself out there each time you step into that ring, all with the quest to win, and in the end, if you failed? It wasn't something you could just shake off. As what Astrid was feeling. Her devastation was some of the greatest one could feel; to lose to a very bitter rival, and then to lose your most prized possession, both on grand stages, back-to-back. Even if Astrid refused to show that insecurity, it was festering inside of her, and Kathleen knew that, which was what made the mental edge so important. Kathleen couldn't hope to match up to Astrid physically, her strength and athletics not even close to hers. What Kathleen did have the advantage in however, was the mental game.

A barbed taunt about Astrid's loss; about how she wasn't ready for this. Her, a former champion, not being ready for a standard match. It would've been laughable if it didn't hit so close to home. The idea of not being ready for this wasn't just about the match, it was also about the potential loss she could suffer, another hit to her confidence that could break her entirely. It was something to dread, it could bury one in their own head, worrying about that, so much so that it becomes an inevitability, as they can't focus on the actual match at hand due to being lost within themselves. That was the power of having a mental edge, and while Astrid made sure to speak a big game, Kathleen saw that crack in her armor, her confidence slip in that very moment. The Queen was in her head, and just like that, her plan had begun.

Kathleen didn't need to respond to Astrid's words after that. All she did was shake her head as she backed up, as if telling the blonde she didn't believe her. Soon after, the bell rung, and the Queen did something foolish. She moved in to slap the woman across the face. Riling up a woman who was, at best, pissed off already, and at worst, a cornered predator. Sure enough, it did connect, and the smack of which echoed throughout the arena, the clap of the woman's palm smacking against the cheek of the blonde. Only a spit to the face would've been more disrespectful than that, yet it wasn't exactly a crippling blow, and it left Kathleen open to Astrid's counterattack.

"GUGFH!" she sputtered out, as that knee drilled her in the stomach, the impact of which something Kathleen had felt since her bouts with Alaina. A heavyweight with impossible strength to boost, it did well enough to keep the black-haired woman stunned, long enough for those strong arms to wrap around the waist of the Queen and toss her backwards for a German Suplex! Soaring through the air at that quick pace, it was instinct that caused Kathleen to lift her arms up and shield the back of her head, just in time for her body to crash down hard!

"GNNGH!" She landed harshly on her upper body, head rattled against her arms from the force of the impact, along with her shoulders and upper back taking a good brunt of the blow. It wasn't as bad as it could've been, but it still forced Kathleen to roll with the momentum and end up on her hands and knees afterwards. Rapid blinks and deep breaths ensued, hair splaying over her face and fingers digging against the mat, as if afraid it'd get sucked out from under her if she didn't. In that moment, the Queen now knew the power of the woman she was dealing with. One can always watch tape and gameplan for their opponent's strategies, spend countless days and nights working out every counter, every hold, every weakness... none of that mattered if you couldn't take a hit. And the only way you knew for sure how hard someone hit... was to get hit by them.

Kathleen was an experienced wrestler, and thus she had been hit far too many times. But the force behind that knee strike was gut-rattling, and the ease of which she was picked up and tossed? Damn near terrifying. She wasn't getting out of this match without getting hurt, but now, it was time for her to realize she was facing a champion, and champions don't hold back. Her back and stomach were still aching greatly from both of those moves, and she wasn't recovering quickly from the attacks - how could she? - trying to recompose herself and get her mind back on track. Unfortunately, such a thing was easier said than done, with a mountain of muscle just a few feet away, the memory of that slap all too fresh in her mind...

[CaptainL]

Astrid was no stranger to how big a part psychological warfare played in the squared circle. For even the greatest of wrestlers, no matter how much they trained, or how much skill they brought to their craft, it was the state of mind they were in and how ready they were for the worst that could truly make or break a match for them. She knew full well that Kathleen wanted to take all her doubts, her fears, her anxieties over her previous losses and turn them against her, to whittle down her confidence in herself and goad her into making a fatal mistake. And what worried her the most...was the thought that it was working.

As Kathleen brought up her defeats against Rose, against Alaina, it made Astrid's breaths quicken and her fists clench tighter at her sides. Her heart skipped a beat, and her teeth clenched. She shouldn't feel this way, she told herself. She should have had confidence. She should have been ready. Kathleen wasn't even in the same weight class. And yet, Astrid couldn't be so sure she was going to win this match...and even that fact was something Kathleen held against her.

Whatever the case might have been, though...by the time the bell actually rang, Astrid would have to be prepared for the worst! Kathleen would surely stop at nothing to ensure that Astrid's reputation was tarnished and her belief in herself shattered, and the Norsewoman had more riding on proving her wrong than ever! No matter how much she might have been filled with doubt, she had to at least do her best. And when Kathleen's slap went cracking across her face, turning the Norwegian's head to the side, Astrid shuddered and hissed, her body tensing up from the pain that rippled through her - but she looked back at her foe with a deathly glare, committed more than ever to taking a stand against her!

Without even giving Kathleen a chance to draw back, Astrid hit her with a rising knee, leaving her stunned - stunned just long enough for Astrid to hoist her up and dump her over her shoulders with a German suplex! The crowd cheered at the thud that rang out with Kathleen's impact with the canvas - a cheer that, to some wrestlers, would be enough to assauge their doubts and rekindle their confidence. But to Astrid, it might as well not have come. She knew there was far more she had to do to Kathleen in order to prove her wrong...but she was willing to do that.

With the suplex landing, Kathleen was dazed. She'd managed to roll away from the suplex, preventing Astrid from pinning her, but that didn't matter. Astrid wouldn't let that slow her down. Any advantage she could get was worth the while, and she was willing to take this! She spun back around to look at the still-downed Kathleen, and when she did, her eyes narrowed into a glare. She was only getting started!

Taking a step closer, Astrid grabbed Kathleen by the hair, attempting to lift her head enough to throw a knee strike straight into her face - and if it landed, another, and another! It was surprising to many fans to see Astrid using such tactics, tactics she would have balked at in any other circumstance. But against Kathleen, she might as well have been fighting for her life, and nothing was off the table! Kathleen had nothing for her but contempt, so Astrid would pay her back in turn!

[TickTock]

Kathleen's victories never came because she was merely physically superior. She wasn't the fastest, nor the strongest. She wasn't very flexible, and she wasn't going to wow anyone with her athleticism. What did win her her matches was her mind. Knowing when to pick her spots, analyzing the weaknesses of her opponents, and never having an ounce of remorse over her more nefarious and/or brutal means of achieving victory. Astrid was right in that it was low to go after a woman who just lost back-to-back like she did, but Kathleen also knew such a time was perfect to strike. If there was ever to be a fault in Astrid that the Queen could capitalize on, now would be the chance.

The world was collapsing in on Astrid, and while others may distance themselves or offer comfort... the Queen of Domination was going to make sure Astrid was buried underneath the weight of it all.

Of course, that was a pretty line, but it didn't mean shit when your shit was getting rocked in the ring. It was no mistake that Kathleen's palm found Astrid's cheek for a harsh slap, the smack of which ringing throughout the arena. It was purposeful, and played right into the strategy of the middleweight's. What was a mistake however, was not protecting herself from a counterattack. A lapse in judgment, arrogance, or just the plain wrong move, anything could be blamed. That was something to be answered when watching back this match on tape, not when in the ring, and Kathleen knew that, as much as it infuriated her.

Though, she didn't have time to be angry with herself, as seconds after that German Suplex, Kathleen was only just getting her gaze back to normal when her hair was snatched and she let out a yelp in pain at the hard tug to get her back to her feet. Hands went up to the fist capturing her black locks, as to try and pry those fingers open and release the Queen. Another mistake.

"GUHGH!" That first knee blasted Kathleen's unprotected face, and was damn near a knockout blow in itself. Spit flew from her lips as her jaw was rocked, making her face fling to the side and her hands release from Astrid's. The Queen couldn't tell if her jaw was cracked or not, but she knew, even in the mass swelling of agony in her skull, she couldn't allow any more strikes to connect. Astrid wasn't releasing her, and Kathleen's strategy of pissing off the bull worked out too well. Just now, a pinch of fear entered the heel.

With all the energy she could muster, Kathleen threw up her arms to wrap around her head and face, just in time for that second knee strike. Protecting her face from getting rung again, that didn't mean it was painless, not by a long shot. Her arms took a brunt of the blow, making Kathleen hiss, and the impact of which still made her head swing with each blow, the impacts ringing through her head, with the only saving grace being that they weren't direct blows. Still, with the force of these knee strikes, Kathleen's guard was going to break eventually. She was durable, but taking repeated shots from one of the strongest heavyweights on the roster wasn't something she could stand up to. A few more, and her head would become an open target once more...

"Astrid, let off the hair!" The voice was muffled for Kathleen, with her arms covering up her ears as well, but she could just make it out. And it was the salvation she needed. The referee was reprimanding Astrid for her continued pulling of Kathleen's hair, and the Queen could only hope that'd mean she'd release her. There weren't many times she was left wishing for something so much... but the power of Astrid's gave her an exception.

[CaptainL]

Kathleen might have caught Astrid off guard with her first strike - but the Norsewoman wasn't going to let it stop her for long. Kathleen was off to make a cheap shot, and to whittle down at Astrid's reserves before the match had even truly started to get underway; the fact that it insulted Astrid in the process was just the icing on the cake. All that was fair and good for her purposes - but she had made one glaring miscalculation. Astrid wasn't going to let such a show of disrespect slide. She was going to get back at Kathleen, and she was going to get even. And now, all of the anger she felt toward Kathleen was being pumped into her next move, making sure that when she paid her back, she would pay her back tenfold!

The blonde's fingers buried deep in Kathleen's hair as she hoisted her up to her knees. Her eyes sparked with a fire as she locked a glare down onto her foe, her teeth clenched in a snarl. Again and again, her knee kicked up from the ground, slamming hard into Kathleen's face each time. Even when Kathleen got her hands up to protect her face, Astrid didn't stop - she hardly even realized she'd managed to raise a guard, as focused as she was on pulverizing her! Each knee she threw came just as hard and as fast as the last, as she put everything she could into punishing Kathleen. She wouldn't be satisfied until she'd managed to draw blood, and perhaps not even then - much like her ancestors, Astrid had entered a berserker rage! The rest of the world fell away; only she and Kathleen mattered!

In fact, Astrid didn't realize what was going on until the referee returned her attention to the real world. But when she did hear another voice break through her daze, Astrid blinked a few times. Her eyes went wide, and the angry glare on her face fell away into a wide-eyed gape of shock. She had stopped in her tracks; she didn't make another move until the ref began to count.

"One!"

At that, Astrid let go of Kathleen. And when she did, a sickening feeling set into her bones. She had broken a rule. She'd had to be stopped by the referee. Astrid had long believed in fairness, in playing by the rules, and in honoring the sport...but here, she had lost control, and given in to her feelings and her aggression. She'd seen Kathleen not as an opponent to overcome in a contest of strength, but as an enemy to vanquish by whatever means were necessary. And in doing so, she had foregone her own code of conduct.

"Did...I..?" Astrid muttered to herself in disbelief, staring down at her hand as her fingers grasped at the air. The color drained away from her face. She would never have done this before, she thought to herself - now, was she letting everything she held so dear down? Was this a sign that she'd fallen too far? Whatever the case was, she was lost in her own thoughts - and she had taken her eyes off Kathleen in the process.

[TickTock]

There wasn't much that could get Kathleen scared. She had faced off against some of the best LAW had to offer already, had seen what the most sadistic women in this company had to offer. Yet to find herself at the mercy of one of the strongest women in LAW, one that was pissed off and seeing red... it did cause a few ticks of fear to enter the mind of the Queen. Bouts of panic as she realized that getting out of this situation before Astrid had her fill may not be available to her, and what the hell was her "fill" even, given the rage being thrown into those knees, ones that were going to cause bruises on her arms for certain with the amount of force behind them. Hell, it was lucky they weren't cracking bone.

Yet, just as her arms were beginning to sag, giving the blonde that opening to bash Kathleen's face in that she so wanted, the referee interjected. The rules of the match saved the Queen, as well as Astrid's respect for them. If she had less morals, she would've continued, utilized the five count to get in more shots, but it seemed that breaking the rules and, more important, losing sight of herself was enough for her to release that hair, causing her opponent to crumble to the mat.

Still having some of her wits about her, Kathleen quickly rolled herself to the ropes, getting her body underneath them as to try and prevent further harm to be done to her. If Astrid pursued, she could roll herself out of the ring, and buy herself time from then. But Astrid didn't pursue. Shaking her head and trying to shake off the pain in her arms, Kathleen looked up to see the blonde stunned. Stunned by her own actions, and staring down at her own hand. It seemed that she had compromised her own moral compass due to the Queen's words and that slap... and Kathleen was satisfied.

Even when getting pummeled, her strategy was working well. Of course, that flurry of rage from Astrid was unplanned, and could've gone deadly wrong if the referee was slower to intervene. But that ping of fear within the Queen was gone, in favor of satisfaction that the mental state of her opponent was in a fragile state, that she was prone to such outbursts because of that doubt within her. Kathleen had gotten into her head, and now it was time to capitalize.

Using the ropes she had rolled to, Kathleen pulled herself back up, using Astrid being lost in her head to her advantage to get back to her feet. Now, was when she had to strike, before her opponent pulled herself together. And surging forward, Kathleen rammed her body against one of the legs of Astrid's with a chop block, trying to cut it out from under her, and get her to fall. She was trying to secure a position advantage over her larger opponent, and if Astrid had found herself at a knee after having one of her legs taken out from under her, Kathleen would continue her assault, grabbing the back of Astrid's head and thrusting up her knee to repeatedly bash in the face of the heavyweight until she felt the woman sag and fall! Just like how she was attacked, only the referee's warning wouldn't be enough to halt the Queen in her pursuit for dominance!

Unlike Astrid, Kathleen had no issue with seeing her opponent as an enemy to conquer and vanquish, and thus held no ill will in smashing her over the head with those brutal strikes. And while she may not be nearly as strong as the blonde, the potency of those strikes and the meanness in how they were thrown couldn't be denied.

[CaptainL]

Ironically, for all Kathleen had tried to wage psychological warfare against Astrid, it wasn't she who would finally break the Norsewoman's composure - it was Astrid herself. In her fit of rage, Astrid realized, she had broken the code of conduct she held herself to, the way she firmly believed all wrestlers should. She had stooped to the level of some of her own worst enemies. Sure, using the hair wasn't that much in the grand scheme of things. It happened in plenty of matches, and some referees didn't even bother enforcing the rule. But it was a matter of principle for Astrid. If she had let herself get carried away, and grabbed Kathleen by the hair in order to line up her strikes, then what was keeping her from breaking her neck if she was left to her own devices? What was keeping her from becoming another Cyber Widow? All those thoughts were running through her head; all of them made her blood run cold - and she realized it too late that while she was stuck on those thoughts, she wasn't watching her opponent.

Astrid shook herself out and looked up just in time to see Kathleen lunge for her, grabbing her leg and pulling it out from under her. She let out a gasp, but she couldn't act in time to save herself - the next thing she knew, Kathleen had bowled her over, sending her falling to her knee with a thud! Astrid's teeth clenched in a snarl as she clutched at the knee she'd fallen on, but once again, she was a few precious seconds too late to save herself from something worse - Kathleen then grabbed her by the head, ramming her knee again and again into Astrid's face!

Each time the blow landed, the Norwegian coughed and gasped, her head knocked from side to side against the onslaught of Kathleen's blows! The referee tried to caution her, but this time, it wouldn't even cause Kathleen to bat an eye! Astrid's face was growing numb, and the world around her was spinning. As Kathleen continued to knee her again and again, she began to sink lower into the mat, bending lower at the waist. But she knew, in her heart, that she would need to fight back - that she couldn't let this stand! Gritting her teeth to summon her fortitude, she thrust her hands outward to try and shove Kathleen away from her! Astrid might have compromised her moral standing, but now was her chance to take it back!