Round 1
Samantha Roberts vs Cecelia Lombard
Win by Knockout
Tournament Bracket
Samantha
Cecelia
This was it. The first round of the tournament was on. And it had been about time, Cecilia Lombard thought to herself. Ever since she heard about the Last Woman Standing tournament, she had thought it sounded like her style. Getting to beat up any number of girls in a row, with whatever means she could, until they just couldn't go any more? It seemed like just the way for her to prove her dominance, when she would emerge on top, and all could witness how far she'd come, crushing everyone in her way. She stood backstage in the locker room, cracking her knuckles and rolling the kinks out of her neck as she warmed herself up, after which she looked up at her reflection in the mirror and grinned. Showtime.
"Now entering the ring, from Detroit, Michigan! At 5'5, weighing in at 135 lbs., CECILIA LOMBARD!"
To the sounds of boos, Cecilia appeared on the top of the ramp, her arms folded as she looked out around the stands. She glared out at them, but huffed down the ramp as she proceeded to the ring, upon which she lifted herself up and slid in through the ropes. With a haughty huff, she tied her hair back into a side ponytail, tossing it from side to side before storming over to the corner and getting in position. "Let's get this over with," she growled. "Is there anyone here worth my time?"
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Sam was backstage stretching and getting ready for the match. She was positively pumped! The camera crew followed her as she nodded to herself in the mirror and turned to begin making her way to the ring.
"Tonight, we're gonna show the LAW roster how it's done! There's a reason I was the first LAW lightweight to enter this yearly knockout tournament! And Cecilia, you're about to find out exactly why that is!" The petite girl boasted as she made her way to the ring. Her expression was one of steadfast resolve. Sam was always sure of herself. She was always eager to take on a challenge. And having just won a match that many expected her to lose, the peppy blunette wrestler had a fan following and confidence that she could really make her mark in this event! Samantha Roberts emerged at the top of the entrance ramp. She stretched as the fans in attendance cheered her on. The girl would hope twice before running down the ramp and sliding into the ring being popping up to her feet and standing in its center.
"Now entering the ring, standing in at 5'0, weighing in at an even 100 pounds, lightweight SAAAMANTHA ROBERRRRTS!"
Sam parted her hair and turned toward her opponent.
"I'll show you something worth your time. I'm gonna make sure you use your time tonight counting sheep!" To which the crowd reacted supportive.
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As soon as she had gotten her hair in place, Cecilia had crossed her arms once again, leaning back against the turnbuckle with an air of distance and carelessness. It was true; she was sure that there was nothing the LAW roster could throw at her that she couldn't crush beneath her feet. However, up until her opponent made her entrance, Cecilia couldn't be sure what she had ahead of her - that was, up until Samantha emerged from backstage. As she watched her run down to the ring, Cecilia looked over with a pause to try and evaluate what she'd be dealing with. A lightweight entering the tournament? And expecting that she could beat Cecilia, no less? That was...unlikely. She tensed, cracking her knuckles in preparation. It looked like she was going to have to teach someone a lesson.
But what really confirmed to Cecilia how absurdly mismatched this was was when Samantha's height and weight were announced. Cecilia took a single moment to let things sink in, and then burst out in laughter, doubling over forward and clutching her gut as soon as Sam had finished her sentence. Then, composing herself once she was sure Samantha would be properly discouraged from such a display, Cecilia straightened herself, getting back up and looking Sam in the eye with a decidedly unamused glare as one hand rested on her hip.
"I'll admit, you're not a bad comedian," she said. "When you find out that wrestling isn't where you belong, you should consider it. For now, though...I'm afraid that the match is still on the schedule, and you're not backing out of this one! I'm going to have to prove to you how thick-headed you are to get yourself into a situation like this one...and luckily, I have my ways."
As soon as she had finished speaking, before the bell had even sounded, Cecilia drew back a fist to let a punch fly straight for Sam's face, ready to open the match!
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Cecilia's condescension exuded from her body language and words long before her opponent was introduced and long before the bell was even rung. No amount of cheering or booing from the fans seemed faze the brunette. And Sam's efforts at being a trailblazer as the first lightweight to enter this tourney only seemed to humor her. Cecelia quite literally laughed Roberts off before approaching her quickly with a fist clocked back for a cheap shot before the bell!
"You're a real jerk, you know that?!" Sam yelped before stepping forward to meet Cecelia to continue their prematch banter. Lombard was coming closer. And Sam was naive. Although she should have suspected the edgy middleweight to throw the first punch, the bluenette was expecting nothing but verbal jabs until the sound of the bell.
"Gah!" Sam was at time, but she was also lucky. For better or for worse, when she was just in range of her foe, the lightweight's boot caught on the canvas toe-first. She tripped forwards and rolled through, inadvertently dodging Cecilia's closed fist and sparking the crowd even more! Samantha completed her somersault and finished with one knee in the ground in a kneeling position. She looked back with an incredulous expression on her face. Despite the accident, it was plain to see what Lombard was going for!
"All the size in the world won't help you if you can't hit the broad size of a barn!" Sam said as she got up as turned around. The little lady frowned with indignation as she assumed a fighting stance with her hands out in front of her ready to grapple.
"For your sake you better be better at wrestling than you are at sportsmanship! Cause after that cheap shot, I'm not going easy on you!" With her sense of justice ignited, Sam glanced at the referee and nodded to confirm that she was ready. The official called for the bell to officially kick things off and Sam began to circle the ring, keeping her distance to try and stay vigilant and aware of any other underhanded moves. Samantha was always eager to race around the ring, but right now, her for was giving her plenty of reason to stay careful and aware of any funny business.
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Just as she had predicted, Cecilia had managed to catch Samantha off-guard. Her smug smirk began to grow wider as she watched her eyes widen and heard the gasp escaped her limits. But a mere millisecond later, everything changed. Suddenly, Samantha rolled forward, Cecilia's fist whiffing by through the air just over her as she ended up on her knee. For a moment, Cecilia's own mouth hung open with a gasp. As far as she was concerned, Sam's little stunt hadn't been a mere accident. She had pulled it off so fluidly and at such a perfect moment that Cecilia had her suspicions it was all part of the plan. If Samantha had the athletic prowess and agility to compensate for her smaller frame...then Cecilia might be in for trouble. As confident as she'd been in entering this match, Cecilia was going to have to stay on her toes. But her anxieties were quick to fade - now, at least, she had seen what Sam was capable of; better she get an understanding of what she could expect to be dealing with now than before the match actually began, when she would need to She sucked in a breath, nonetheless, getting down into a stance to face the lightweight as she turned to face her.
In response to her taunts, Cecilia simply scoffed, tossing her head back as she raised her own fists. "Just you wait until you end up on the wrong side of my holds," she said. "Then, we can see what the story is."
The bell rang, at last heralding the match to start as Cecilia got back towards the ropes. Her body lowered and her fists raised, while she kept her eyes locked on Samantha. Her eyes narrowed into a glare down at her, as she hoped to make it readily clear to the girl that she was out for blood. Watching her movements, seeing the caution in the way she moved, Cecilia could tell that Samantha was trying to keep an eye on her, to predict any sudden movements. It was probably a wise choice, dealing with her, Cecilia thought - but if that was the game she was going to play, Cecilia didn't want to let her get away with it. Rather than waiting for Sam to come to her, Cecilia would rush in suddenly, going to throw an elbow towards her as she got close.
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Sam's stunt was a happy accident indeed, but the ever-improving rookie had the battle sense to try and play it off as if it were completely intentional. At this point, she was eager to psych Cecilia out and start things off with some sort of advantage. Samantha did indeed have the goods to make use of her agility to compensate for her low center of gravity and smaller frame, but pulling that off successfully and differentiating her successes as a wrestler from flashes in a pan was not going to be an easy feat. The bluenette approached the trash talking Lombard cautiously, but she had no real plan. At this point, it was down to improvising, adapting, and overcoming. And nothing about Cecilia suggested that any of that would be easy for Roberts.
At the sound of the bell, the two women sized each other up. Both waiting to see how the other would kick things off. Patience proved to be something Cecilia wasn't planning on sparing for the time being. She rushed forward and darn near tried to take Sam's head off with a swinging elbow strike! Samantha thought back to Cecilia's words. She told herself that she had to be mindful of the bigger girl's holds. The lightweight brought up both her arms to block the brunt of the blow! She stumble back a step or two whilst complaining "Which hold was that?!"
Sam knew that she couldn't just stay in one spot. She'd attempt to grab hold of Cecilia and duck under the outstretched arm to slip behind her! If the blue clad wrestler managed to zip around her foe, she'd attempt to push Cecilia towards the ropes to to send her reeling in similar fashion to an Irish Whip! Samantha would crouch if she pulled this off! Although it was telegraphed, the lightweight had a plan. She'd get ready to greet the cocky heel on her return trip with a standing dropkick!
"Haaaa!" Sam would roar if she created an opportunity to attempt the move!
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The match had only officially begun just now, but already Cecilia was fed up with her opponent's shenanigans, and she was hoping to nip this annoyance in the bud. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she charged in towards Samantha, her elbow swinging out to slam into her when she got in range. She could anticipate the crack of her smaller opponent's head turning to the side as she rebuked her with her forward charge, once and for all putting this little upstart brat in her place for daring to think she could talk back to her. But once again, Cecilia's expectations would fall a bit short - Samantha held up her arm, Cecilia's elbow glancing off her guard as she staggered back off her own momentum.
Glaring daggers back at Sam, Cecilia clenched her teeth, wanting to make it quite clear to her that just because this particular attack didn't work didn't mean Cecilia was out, or that she was at all intimidated by her display. "Oh, just you wait, girl," she growled, "you haven't seen anything yet."
Despite this, Samantha wasn't sticking around to listen to Cecilia's taunts, and she was already slipping free from her grasp, circling around behind her. Her smaller size and agility was definitely her advantage here, and she was keen on using it; that much was clear to Cecilia. The brunette wouldn't have much time to think before Sam had sent her stumbling towards the ropes, as though keen on making her rebound. She'd manage to push Cecilia without trouble - but the heel had been in enough matches to know what usually happened after this, and she wasn't stupid. Sure that Sam would have something in store for her when she returned, Cecilia quite literally thought on her feet, reaching out to catch the ropes at the last minute and use her momentum to spring off her feet, rolling so that she would flip over the ropes and come to a stop hanging onto the top rope from the other side. Then she'd look back at Samantha to gauge where her miss would have left her.
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Samantha had worked up some time respectable momentum. At the very least, the bluenette convinced herself and some of the fans in attendance that she could trade moves with Cecilia and still hold her own! And with that confidence, the perky lightweight motioned to take control!
After parrying one of the middleweight's blows, and sending her off to run the ropes! Sam preemptively leaped up to nail Lombard with a dropkick on her return trip! But all the agility and poise in the world couldn't help her foresee that the brunette would skillfully flip over the ropes to avoid getting back into the fray! This turn of events had Roberts land painfully on her side!
"Ow! Agh! You ran away!" Sam protested as she rolled over and held her side. The petite gal tried to crawl towards the ropes on the opposite end of the ring from Cecilia. She was still in fighting condition but she'd be in her toes, wary of whatever other tricks the arrogant Lombard had in store for her!
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As she caught herself on the ropes, stabilizing herself, Cecilia looked back over her shoulder. She was fully prepared to swing back over the ropes to deliver a swift kick to Samantha when she got close, but it seemed she had overestimated her opponent. Sam had gotten ahead of herself in going for the dropkick, doing Cecilia's work for her as she landed on her side.
"An astute observation," the brunette muttered with a roll of her eyes. Though she was a bit disappointed that she didn't have the chance to strike her when she didn't expect it, there'd be plenty of time for that. Cecilia was a patient woman, as long as it came to her winning at the end of the day. She used her hand on the ropes to pull herself back up and flip back into the ring, landing on her feet. Then, she turned around to look back at Samantha. As she was pulling herself back up, Cecilia started to saunter towards her, slowly and carefully to give her time to right herself - just to let her think she still had a chance. But before Sam could fully prepare herself, Cecilia would suddenly lunge in close to her, going to deliver a clothesline aimed right for her face!
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Given her opponent's demeanor, this contest was already a far cry from the wholesome, fair contest that Sam wanted it to be. No, this uphill battle of a knockout tourney that was already disadvantageous to a lightweight like Samantha would force her to endure every trick and treachery that Cecilia could muster. And that started with her rising up and turning around only to be greeted with a harsh Clothesline across her sternum!
"Gah!" Roberts cried as she was swept off her feet, floating in the air a moment before falling back down to earth! The blown was calculated and opportunistic. The brutal brunette waited for just the right moment when Sam felt ready to defend herself before killing whatever momentum she was getting ready to muster. Down on her back, the fan-favorite in this match-up would lie in a supine position hurting and groaning, but still very much alive!
"Grrrr...keep your.....sarcasm, lady...."
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Her blow landing solidly and bowling Samantha off her feet, Cecilia stood tall and proud above her, her hands on her hips. She scoffed, rolling her eyes at how for all her big talk her opponent was proving to be all too gullible. Not that that was a bad thing, necessarily. At this point in time, that played right into her strategy. She could be thankful for that. If this kept up, Sam would keep throwing herself right into her tricks, eliminating herself through her own incompetence. The thought of it made Cecilia chuckle. She'd like to see that happen.
But she couldn't rely on that, and she was still in here to win. It was obvious to her that Samantha was going to need a little more encouragement to break, and Cecilia was going to provide that. Now with the girl on her back, Cecilia stepped over to her to grab hold of her leg and use it to turn her over onto her face. From there, it would be time for Cecilia to lock in one of her trademark submissions. In this case, a Boston Crab, as she took hold of Samantha's legs and climbed down onto her back to bend them over towards her spine!
"Very well," she teased. "How about this instead?"
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Samantha was spunky when it mattered. But right now her spunk wouldn't help her find her way out of this bind. For better or for worse, her luck would usually catch up to her. Things would work out or they wouldn't. But right now, Sam was on the receiving end of condescension and humiliation that only served to anger, frustrate, and tilt the lightweight dynamo.
As Cecilia grabbed hold of her legs, Sam shifted just a bit. It was all she could muster for now. The middleweight heel woman proceeded to tease her whilst applying a harsh Boston Crab submission hold! Samantha clawed at the mats and writhed in pain. She wasn't the caliber of veteran or all star at LAW that would no this before the fact, but now that she was actually in the match, she'd realize just how distinct her disadvantage was. Sam yelled and banged the canvas beneath her, she tried to roll or struggle in a way that would dislodge Lombard from the seated position she had on her back.
She could only hope and pray that it didn't occur to Cecilia that the match stipulations perfectly suited a submission wrestling heel like herself. No rope breaks. No submissions, even. Cecilia could work Samantha over to her heart's content, and the match would only end via knockout or the inability to answer a ten count. The petite bluenette was certainly in a bind. But there was still hope! The crowd began to chant her name! They realized that Roberts could build up that momentum just as quickly as she lost it! Sam wasn't quite done yet. But sadly, at least for now, Cecilia didn't seem done with her yet, either!
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Now, Cecilia had her opponent right where she wanted her. This was far more like it, she mused to herself, as she bore her weight down atop Samantha's spine, twisting her hips to grind up against her back and rub in the indignity of the position for good measure. It was far more suited to her purposes to have Sam beneath her, bent into a position where Cecilia just needed to put down pressure in the right places to inflict some pain. After all the insolence she had been dealt at the blue-haired girl's hands, this was a long time coming.
Samantha began to struggle against Cecilia's best efforts to keep her under control, and her hold on her started to weaken if only for a bit. Cecilia wouldn't concede any ground for long, though. Sam's struggles were only motivating her to make this position an even more painful one for her, as she gave a sharp tug back at her legs for good measure while she squeezed her thighs to put more pressure against her ribs and sides. "Oh no you don't!" she snapped, growling under her breath in a threat that only Samantha could hear. Still, despite it all, Samantha had proven she could fight back - and perhaps a little more effort was all she would need.