Teachable Moments - Mateo Salinas vs Ami Takeuchi [Standard]

[Parker]

Match Type: Standard, One Fall
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, submission, knockout, count out, or disqualification.

Mateo adjusted his gloves as he made his way down the narrow halls, the distant hum of the crowd pulsing through the arena walls. Every step brought him closer to gorilla position, closer to a fight he hadn’t asked for but wasn’t about to back down from.

It had started small, just a few sharp words exchanged online. Ami’s less-than-gracious reaction to their confrontation hadn’t surprised him, but it had confirmed everything he’d warned her about. He told her plainly: cut it out, or else she’d see him in the ring. Whether she arranged tonight herself or the office simply saw opportunity and ran with it, the match was here. Mateo hadn’t needed to lift a finger.

Probably for the best.

For all intents and purposes, he was still a rookie on paper, a man with only a brief indie career behind him and no sway in a company this size. The truth of things well buried under a dead legacy and times he would rather forget. But conviction weighed heavier than reputation, and tonight that was enough. He wasn’t going to HR. He wasn’t airing dirty laundry to the public. He was going to do this the way they did it back home.

“Sin excusas, sin quejas… lo único que hay es el ring,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders as the glow of the stage lights crept closer. “Ahí es donde uno se cura."

The curtain loomed ahead, gorilla position alive with the sharp calls of production staff and the rising anticipation of the fans just beyond. Mateo drew a steady breath as the first chord of his music hit, and the crowd reaction swelled in an instant.

Do U Like It - Kinky

Pushing through the curtain,

stepped onto the stage. His pace wasn’t rushed, but there was no wasted motion either. Shoulders squared, jaw set, eyes locked forward, tonight carried weight, and he wore it openly. The crowd still reached for him, cheering, and Mateo gave them their due with a sharp nod, raising one hand in brief acknowledgment before resettling his focus on the ring.

He moved down the ramp with measured strides, boots pounding in rhythm with the beat of his theme. Not all smiles, not tonight, but approachable, presentable, still the man who had quickly won the crowd’s curiosity. Halfway down he reached to clap a few hands stretched over the barricade, his grin faint but genuine before it slipped back to focus.

At ringside, Mateo broke into a run, springing up onto the apron in one fluid motion. He wiped his boots against the edge out of habit before ducking between the ropes, stepping into the ring with an energy that shifted from the easy rhythm of the walk to the tension of the fight ahead.

He circled the inside of the ring once, his gaze sweeping over the audience, before settling squarely on the entryway opposite him, the place Ami would soon emerge. Mateo loosened his shoulders, bouncing lightly on his feet, the crooked grin finally cutting across his face.

“Alright then… let’s see if your skills are as pretty as that face, chica.”

[Teenwrestler]

It had been a long time since Ami was actually looking forward to a match. Many a times it was simply to fulfill contractual obligations or out of sheer boredom. Not this time though, this time it was going to be personal. The initial online spat she did not mind at all, after all the whole idea of it was to fan the flames of the suckers who called themselves wrestlers here at LAW. However, the more recent interaction she had with him was the cause for this eventual match-up. She had tried to let him off easy despite his empty threats, perhaps trying to maybe make him see her way or forming a unique partnership of some sorts. But no, he had to ruin it all with his empty ideals.

"I had such high hopes for the day" she muttered to herself while doing her make-up and eyelashes in front of the mirror in her VIP locker room. "It is such a shame though, I really did think he would see things my way but alas, it seems he wants to learn that lesson the hard way. Well, I can certainly oblige" she chuckled, finally done getting ready.

Ami Takeuchi

Her entrance theme cued and the bluenette would make her way out to the LAW arena to a chorus of jeers. However, none of that truly phased Ami at all as she would walk down the ramp with a smile on her face and would blow kisses to the crowd and her "lovely fans" despite the feeling not being mutual. At one point in her career, the crowd would fall head over heels for her until they realized how much of a jerk and bully she was. Nonetheless, the supermodel would hop up the ring apron and snap her fingers towards the referee.

"*Ahem*" she exclaimed, clearing her throat while the referee would reluctantly walk over towards her and sit on the middle rope and elevate the top rope to create some extra room for the supermodel to maker her way into the ring. "Good boy" she said, patting him on the head to mock him. She would then turn to face her opponent, Mateo Salinas.

Biting her lower lip, she would inspect him from head to toe before walking towards the middle of the ring, hands on her hips. "Well, well, well...we meet again. she said with a evil smirk on her face before she started to walk towards him, showing no signs of fear or being intimidated by him at all. The supermodel would stop inches away from him, gently booping his nose with her index finger.

"It's a shame you're just another vanilla rookie with the same pathetic ideals as the rest of the losers in the back. Oh well, maybe you just need a dose of reality to see things my way, eh?" she would say in a low whisper being taking a few steps back and let the referee do his job as she waited for the bell to ring so that they can get this match underway.

[Parker]

Mateo leaned back in his corner, one boot propped casually against the bottom rope, watching Ami’s grand entrance play out like a show she’d rehearsed for herself in the mirror a thousand times. The crowd hated her, the referee looked miserable, and she soaked it all in like it was a standing ovation. Mateo’s lip curled faintly when she snapped her fingers and patted the official’s head like a dog. He didn’t say anything yet, but the shake of his head made his thoughts plain enough.

When she finally sashayed up to him, all smirks and fake sweetness, Mateo stayed rooted. The little boop to his nose got no more than a slow blink and a cocked eyebrow. He tilted his head at her, smirk pulling faintly at his mouth.

“You must really like me,” he said, voice cool and wry. “Can’t seem to keep your hands off.”

He let it hang there, then eased forward a step, close enough to square up with her. Her whisper about him being a rookie drew the faintest chuckle out of him, low and humorless. He tilted his head the other way, studying her like he wasn’t sure if she was joking or just stupid.

“If you’re looking for doses of reality, here’s one: I’m not a rookie. Not sure what made you assume I was.” His tone sharpened just enough on that last line, cutting through her smugness.

Mateo straightened, rolling his shoulders as though loosening up. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he leaned away from the ropes, shaking out his arms as he waited for the bell.

[Teenwrestler]

It was certainly not the case that Ami wasn't able to read the room so to speak. She knew the crowd was not on her side, that most of her colleagues despised her and even some of the officials. However, she could not give a damn about any of that. She would still continue to make her grand entrance as if she was the princess of LAW. This whole attitude was the reason why Mateo confronted her in the first place. Now, one way or the other, one of them would certainly have to eat their words. There was a slight difference though, while Ami would have no problem tearing him down verbally and physically like the rest, she showed some sort of weird deference towards him in her own strange way.

During their backstage interaction, she stayed Daisuke from doing a 2 on 1 attack on him and was perhaps trying to solicit him into an alliance. Even now, her attitude was not vicious but more playfully devious. This was picked up by Mateo, who seemed to suggest that the bluenette was starting to like him. Ami would smirk and giggle rather ominously, leaning in towards him just a bit. "Ohohoho, I do! But not in a way you might think. You do have potential, and I was simply thinking we can form an alliance." she winked at him.

"Darling, everyone is a rookie when it comes to wrestling me" she said, flicking her hair back and shaking her head with a more serious tone and look on her face before placing her hands on her hips. A few more seconds later, the timekeeper would ring the bell to signal the start of the match. Ami would bring her arms up in front of her and crouch low, circling her opponent to look for an opening.

Her eyes narrowed, she was focused and had a concrete plan. Leaning in closer and closer, she would lunge in as if to go for a collar and elbow grapple but would instead look to dis-engage and slip past his guard to get behind him. If that plan worked, she would wrap her arms around his waist to control him in a waistlock hold.

[Parker]

Mateo’s expression hardened the moment the bell rang, but that sharp smirk he was known for never left his face. He’d seen Ami’s type before, the self-anointed royalty who strutted like they owned the ring before they’d even earned the crowd’s respect. Yet there was something different in the way she moved around him, not pure arrogance, but the way she was trying to play with him. He’d been honest about not being as fresh-faced as she assumed, but she didn’t seem to care one way or the other.

“I don’t run in circles with people like you, sorry.” Not anymore, at least. There was a time when he might have taken her up on the offer. Just another pretty girl to take out to an afterparty. Even the thought of slipping back into that old life made him feel sick, a feeling Ami herself was inheriting the more she talked so brazenly and vile.

The two circled, steps measured. The crowd’s anticipation hummed, and Mateo matched Ami’s low stance, shoulders rolling, hands half-raised. She feinted first, fast, her motion sharp and convincing enough to make him brace for a collar-and-elbow tie-up. But then, like smoke, she slipped past him.

Clever. He thought to himself, purposely not gassing Ami up by voicing the compliment out loud. His teeth flashed as he grit them, feeling her arms snake around his waist.

Ami’s grip cinched tight, her chest pressed against his back, and for a moment, he felt her breath near his shoulder. Her technique wasn’t sloppy; she knew exactly how to distribute her weight, trying to keep him off balance while keeping herself close enough to make it frustratingly intimate. He was bigger both in height and weight, though and manipulating him was no easy task.

But if she thought she’d caught him clean, she was wrong.

Mateo dropped his hips suddenly, lowering his center of gravity to make her hold more difficult to maintain. His hands clamped over hers, fingers prying at her wrists as he growled under his breath, the sound low and more amused than angry. “You want to play close, princesa? Fine.”

With a sharp twist of his torso, he tried to wrench free, looking to reverse her control and catch one of her arms in his hands. He attempted to pivot and swing wide around her, getting behind her and driving the trapped arm up hard into her back with a hammerlock. Instead os milking the hold, though, he would just wrench it once, then bring his boot up to plant it on her backside, giving her butt a hard shove to kick her away from him as he let go.

[Teenwrestler]

Surely Mateo didn't think Ami couldn't handle the simple mind games that he was trying to use in order to get under her skin. One doesn't become a master manipulator without getting their own feathers ruffled quite a bit. The bluenette was used to the banter, the subtle flirting and playing the "oh-so-innocent" girl to get what she wanted. Even though her own tricks may not be working on that handsome face of his, she was certainly not going to let his words get to her. In fact, his response made her chuckle a bit while she flicked her hair back.

"Ohohoho, oh sweetheart! You won't be running in circles with me, but for me" she said with a devilish grin and a lick of her lips. The time for talk was over though, and the match had officially begun when the bell rang. Ami would soon get in behind him to wrap her arms around his waist for a simple waist lock to control him, test his mental fortitude and wrestling ability out. He would certainly not disappoint. Taking a lower stance, he dropped his hips and grabbed her wrists to begin finding a way out.

Eventually, he would pivot and swing around her to get behind her and reverse their positions. Not long after the reversal, Ami found herself trapped in a hammerlock submission. "Nrgh not bad" she hissed, grunting in effort while trying to escape. She twisted at the hip and tried to find a way out but was eventually kicked in the backside and released by himself. "OW! HEY" she would say, quite obviously enraged while she turned around to face him. She stomped her foot on the ground, letting him know of her displeasure of that little trick.

"Heh, so you want to play hardball huh? Well, I'm game" she would say in a low and ominous tone. Once more, she would raise her arms up and start to circle him. She lunged in once more but this time, she went straight towards him in an attempt to catch him off guard with a quick chop to his chest. If the first one succeeded, she would go for another and another to try and back him up into the corner turnbuckle.

[Parker]

The crowd’s laughter came like a wave when Ami’s yelp echoed through the ringside area. He might have forgone a real offensive put just for the sake of messing with her. A little tit for tat given her online bullying. Mateo couldn’t help the smirk that pulled across his face as he straightened up, brushing his hands together as if dusting her off. He gave the audience a little shrug that said, What? She asked for it. The kind of showmanship that earned him a a few cheers.

"Throwing a tantrum already? I’ve got twelve year old cousins more well behaved than you, chica.” he mused outloud, arching a brow as she stamped her foot. He shifted his weight with a smirk as she barked back to him. “If you think a little boot to your backside is hardball, you’re about to have a bad night.”

He met her in a circle, slowly shifting back into a ready grappler stance.. The energy shifted. Ami lunged first, sharp, fast, and the CRACK of her hand against his chest cut through the air like a gunshot. Mateo staggered a step, jaw tightening as his skin reddened under the slap. The second chop came before he could even finish breathing in, but when the third came he threw up his arm to intercept, blocking her at the inner elbow with a forearm.

“My turn.” He growled in a low rumble, a glint of something fierce in his eyes. There was an etiquette to these things, blow for blow, the right way. He had a duty to maintain the tradition even if she didn't seem to care. The fans were eating it up regardless

"You hit hard for someone who pouts that much," he quipped, before stepping back in, arm raised high. He brought his hand down hard, lighting her up with a retaliatory chop that would be aimed to clap her squarely across the chest and echo across the arena.

CRACK!

The sound would snap through the building as his hand smacked against her chest, and the crowd gave that satisfying collective “WOO!” He wouldn’t stop there, but unlike Ami he didn't immediately go for another. Instead, he puffed out his chest, offering her a clean target to chop. He intended to alternate, pay each clap she gave him with one of his own until one of them relented. While honor may not have been something on Ami’s mind, pride certainly seemed to be and he was directly challenging her.

[Teenwrestler]

The boot to her backside was certainly intentional, and certainly disrespectful. Ami was never a good sport, she was the type of person who could dish it out just fine but could never take it. She was internally furious, that he would dare kick her backside. She was already thinking of ways on how she was going to make him pay for that little stunt. She did not have to wait long either, ignoring his little tricks to try and get under her skin, the two circled each other briefly before lunging back in to continue. She never had any real intention to lock up with him this time though, only using the grapple stance just to trick him into getting close enough for her to unleash a chop. To his credit, he took it like a champ and didn't show too many signs of pain apart from his jaw tightening to show he was bearing the pain as best he could. Another chop came and then another- but the third one was intercepted.

"What?! how dare you!" she said, seemingly feeling insulted that he would dare grab her hand like that. "Let my hand go you vil-AIIIIEEEEEEE OW OW OW OW" she yelped in pain, clutching her chest in pain while hopping up and down on her tip toes. Hissing in pain as she tried to rub her aching chest, hoping the stinging sensation would soon fade away. She fully expected a follow up, and that his second chop would hurt even more than his first but instead he would puff out his chest, inviting for a trade.

Ami grinned, almost forgetting the pain she was feeling in her chest, he asked for it but she was in no mood to play along. "Hehe you really are dumb, aren't you?" she said, leaning in to instead raise her knee up into his abdomen for a brutal knee strike to try and get him to double over. If her plan worked, she would wrap her arm around his head, tucking his head under her armpit and attempt to fall backwards, attempting to spike his head to the mat for a quick DDT.

[Parker]

Ami’s knee came up hard and fast, a sharp, practiced strike that slammed into Mateo’s abdomen with a solid thud. The air rushed out of him, his abs tightening instinctively against the blow, but it was still enough to make him fold forward with a grimace, his breath caught between grit and growl.

He didn’t fall, not yet. His hands dropped toward his stomach, his boots sliding half a step back to steady himself. He looked up through the strands of dark hair that had fallen into his eyes, his jaw tight but his gaze steady. The sting burned deep, but what struck him harder was the look on Ami’s face, smug, gleeful, so sure she’d one-upped him when abusing receiving benefit of the doubt.

“Still going for the cheap shots…” he muttered under his breath, the hint of a smirk ghosting across his face even as he fought for air. There was no anger in it, just something quieter,resigned, maybe even disappointed. He had been paying for every olive branch offered, but now was the time to cut them off completely. If there was any measure of good in Ami, it didn't seem like it was coming out tonight or for him .

In a flash, her arm snaked around his head, pulling him down into her grasp. His hand shot to her side, ready to counter, but he was half a second too slow. With a sharp drop backward, Ami threw her full weight down, spiking his skull and shoulders against the mat with a vicious DDT.

The canvas rattled beneath them, the crowd roaring. Mateo’s legs kicked once before settling, his arm twitching faintly as he lay there on his chest, one hand at his neck. His chest rose and fell sharply, each breath heavy. For a moment, all he could do was press his forehead to the canvas and blink, his vision fractured through the blur of impact.

[Teenwrestler]

What was up with this guy? Did he really expect anything else? More importantly, she wondered what even made her give her the benefit of doubt. Ami had been a massive jerk to him and to the others this whole time yet somehow, he would keep extending the olive branch to her. His actions almost made her feel a little guilty, but she was too busy being disgusted by how gullible this man. The only way to survive in a cruel business such as professional wrestling was to take every advantage one could get. Exploit every weakness of your opponent and forget about any moral high ground.

She looked down at him with a disgusted and annoyed look while he mentioned she was still going for the cheap shots- as if he expected anything less from her. "Tch, just who the hell do you think you are huh?" she said, sounding more annoyed than any other type of insult would make her. That was right, she felt more insulted that he actually thought she would not go for any cheap shots. Not after though, the male wrestler found himself being driven to the mat, head first, thanks to a DDT.

He would lay there on his chest, clutching his neck while being dazed from the impact. Ami would get down on her knees and grab a fist full of his hair, pulling his head up slightly off the mat. "Listen, I don't know what's going on in that thick skull of yours but you better start taking this seriously" she hissed. Still grabbing his hair, she would force him up on his knees while she would get behind him. Ami would lean down and drive her knee into his lower back to weaken him before looking to wrap her arm around his neck for a seated dragon sleeper submission.