Astrid Ostberg made history at We Are LAW 2020 by dethroning Linda Halloween and becoming LAW’s second Heavyweight Champion. Since then, reporters have been abuzz with discussion on what the Norwegian bombshell would do with her new title. Just recently, Astrid let us know the plans. In a shocking move, Astrid elected to take time off from LAW to return home and visit her family.
“They mean a lot to me,” Astrid told LAW Magazine. “My father was an inspiration for me to follow in his footsteps and become a wrestler myself. Now that I’ve won the championship, I want to bring it home to show him how far I’ve come.”
But Astrid’s trip home won’t stop there. LAW Magazine has an exclusive report detailing Astrid’s plans to celebrate her championship victory.
“I’m taking the Heavyweight Championship with me on a reunion tour of the indies,” the champion explained. “I’m bringing it full circle. My career began in the European independent circuit, and I’m going back there to see what’s happened since I left for Japan. They’ll see how my career has grown, too - I intend to defend my championship against all comers.”
We pressed Astrid as to how she would handle defending her title in matches not sanctioned by LAW. These matches, she clarified, will not affect her official win-loss ratio or her title defense record, as they’re outside the scope of the promotion. Nevertheless, she’s prepared for the fact that the title may change hands - but she’s confident in her ability to keep holding onto it.
“I beat not one, but two opponents to win this belt,” Astrid told the press, gesturing to the title around her waist. “I think I can handle it.”
When questioned about the risks of taking such a lengthy vacation from LAW so shortly after winning the belt, Ostberg had this to say:
“I understand people’s concerns, I really do. But I think this is going to work out for the best. I’ll be showing off the title against competitors from all over Europe at venues in multiple countries, and I’m already a face people will recognize there. It’ll put more attention on LAW and their Heavyweight Championship if people know I’m the reigning champion, and if they can see what I can do in the ring now. If I can make a prediction, we’ll see a lot more viewership on LAW from Europe by the time I’m through.”
Not everyone looks at Astrid’s plans so favorably, however. LAW Magazine also spoke to another heavyweight icon, the lovely and infamous Karen Starring, who had this to say:
“There’s a reason indie wrestlers stay independent. It’s because they just aren’t good enough for a major promotion to sign them! Astrid knows she can’t defend her title against the heavyweight division here in LAW, so she’s going to the bush leagues where she knows she won’t have to worry about the competition, where she can get some easy wins and look like the hometown hero in the process. If I had that belt around my waist, you’d bet I wouldn’t be running away from anyone!”
Astrid has also stated that she had to make some arrangements with LAW management in order to make her plans work:
“They were hesitant about me spending so much time away from LAW with the belt,” the Norsewoman explained, “but I assured them I’d still be defending it as a true champion would, just overseas.”
She added that she had to agree to “certain terms” with the officials in order to get the go-ahead, but she declined elaboration when questioned.
Astrid’s European Grand Tour will begin this spring in her hometown of Stavanger, Norway. Major cities throughout Europe, including London, Paris, Berlin, and Athens, have already booked her for local cards. But if all goes well for the Heavyweight Champion, she’ll be back in Tokyo by December, just in time to defend her title at We Are LAW 2021. We hope to see her there!
Author's Note
This is my in-universe explanation as to why Astrid won the belt at We Are LAW 2020 and first defended it at We Are LAW 2021; the out-of-universe explanation is that the match took longer to write than anticipated due to personal difficulties. As stated, it will not affect Astrid's record.