Rose Gold (c) vs Astrid Ostberg (c) - Champion vs Champion

[SuckerPunch]

Astrid's boot pinning her to the corner had been the only thing keeping her up! When she finally relinquished it, she slumped like a marionette that'd had its' strings cut. Her face turned bright red as she choked and gasped, the sudden influx of air both a labor and a relief simultaneously!

The world swam as her eyes fell back into place. The ring was blurry from the involuntary tears that'd formed from the choke. Her cheeks were wet from her own drool... Her face was puffy and red and lacked completely the dignity and power she claimed to possess. The tinnitus in her ears faded into the sound of Lexy's screaming. Something about her voice anchored her senses.

She spotted it then. The referee and Astrid were both distracted by her pet. A job well done. But the sight of Astrid stepping towards her caused her jaw to clench so tightly that she feared she might've cracked a tooth. The threat of what she might do spurred her immediately up onto her feet, as if a phantom had yanked her up by her wrists. Her feet were unsteady, but she would have run across marbles to get to Astrid!

She swung her leg out like a golf-club at a driving range! "She's MINE!" She let out a rasping scream, her lungs not fully inflated yet! It would come a half second before the toe of her boot buried itself between the thighs of the Heavyweight Champion! A vicious vile assault on her womanhood.

Only the best for her Lexy!

[CaptainL]

Astrid had brought Rose near to the brink, all but choking the life out of her. If she had kept up her efforts, and zeroed in on her defenseless opponent, the match could perhaps be over by now. But for better or worse, Astrid wasn't doing that. She had seen that Lexy had appeared to grab the referee's attention in trying to get the Norsewoman in hot water, and in an instant her priorities shifted to the green-haired woman in front of her. She wanted to say something - to accuse her of interfering on Rose's behalf, and to call out her trickery. But Astrid realized that she was faultless; her own defense had no leg to stand on. No, Astrid had been the one to defy the rules of the match in continuing to choke Rose out despite her rope break. In her pursuit of vengeance, she had compromised her own values and beliefs. And now that Rose had seen that she was distracted...Astrid was about to pay the price.

The next thing she knew, a searing pain shot up from her groin, running through her entire body! As she doubled forward with a cry of shock, Astrid's hands shot down to cup her crotch, and her knees knocked together from the shot. Wincing in pain, her footing gave way, and she dropped to her knees, panting and groaning. She looked back over her shoulder at Rose from the corner of her eye, still trembling as the aftershocks of the low blow wore off. "Cheap...shot..." she huffed - but there wasn't much she could do about it now.

[SuckerPunch]

"Oh please!" She rolled her eyes at Astrid's accusation as she wiped some of the remaining drool off of her own cheek. A reminder of just how dangerous Astrid could be if she got ahold of her. Rose Gold was used to David and Goliath matches... But tonight she was David... Not for many many years had she been David... And it caused her tiny black heart to bubble with rage.

Astrid's knee hit the canvas and Rose took off like it was a gunshot to a runner! The tiny blonde bolted away from Astrid! She hit the ropes, practically leaving her feet as they absorbed all of her energy and fired her back at the kneeling heavyweight! She approached her from behind with rapid footfalls. She was relying on the damage she'd done to the woman's groin to keep her in place as she lined her up like a ball on a tee!

"JUST DIE!" She screamed as she poured all of that kinetic energy into a leaping attack! Her lithe body fired through the air like a spear! And the tip of it was her right knee! A Gilded Wizard! But this was different... Normally it was delivered to her opponent's face. Instead, tonight, it was delivered far more dangerously!

The point of her knee was fired directly into the base of her skull! Intending to strike right where her spine connected! If Astrid didn't move she would be suffering another vicious attack to her head! Rose Gold's strategy was becoming clear... She was surgically attacking Astrid's head and neck!

[CaptainL]

Astrid clenched her teeth into a wince, still shivering from the pain that was bubbling up between her legs. Rose's foot had taken off like a rocket and planted itself right into her most vulnerable of targets, and it had taken her down. Much as Astrid wanted to get back up and keep fighting - she wouldn't dare give Rose the satisfaction of knowing that such dirty tricks had paid off - she couldn't bring herself to. Her whole body felt numb, and she was still struggling to collect her thoughts enough to get out of the way. And yet, that only twisted that knife further; the regrets weighed heavy on her shoulders. Being hurt like this was one thing - but letting Rose get away with it was worse.

Astrid hissed under her breath, her brow furrowed in thought. She balled a fist, trying to focus enough to get back up. But it would be too little, too late. Rose was already closing in on her from behind, and her knee was raised to drive straight into the back of Astrid's head. The crowd called out to the heavyweight, urging her to look behind her, or to save herself. But it wouldn't do her any good - Rose's knee hit its target, and with a crack, Astrid recoiled from the pain, falling flat onto her face! Her weight dragged her down, shaking the canvas beneath her with a resounding thud!

Immediately, the crowd began to boo Rose for her tactics. They were catching onto the plan - Rose knew she couldn't beat Astrid in terms of size or strength, so her strategy was to go for causing her injury on purpose! And with Astrid's neck being targeted, she risked being seriously hurt - possibly even enough to compromise her career! For a moment, Astrid lay there motionless. For all the fans knew, her wrestling days may have already been over. And it only made them that much angrier at Rose.

But the boos would also serve to distract Rose long enough for Astrid to make her move. She could see past the cobwebs in her head just enough to know that the fans were still counting on her, and they still wanted her to win! She sucked in a breath, determined to give them the victory they were hoping for. Reaching out in front of her, the Norwegian took a handful of the canvas, using it to drag herself across the ring toward the ropes - and with it, the fans began to cheer, urging her onward! Astrid's ears were ringing, and she was in no shape to get back to her feet without the assistance of the ropes to grab onto. But she was still determined to make that trip - at least, as much as Rose was willing to allow...

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath! She sucked every last one of those boos into her lungs and used them to fuel herself. All of these ignorant, ungrateful, talentless pigs! If she didn't hate them so much, she might have been upset that they were booing.

But instead, it gave her a surge of energy! Helped to clear away the cobwebs of the brutal beating Astrid had just given her. Upsetting these disgusting fans was almost as good as satisfying herself with the face of her rival! Almost.

What she saw when she opened her eyes did upset her, however! Astrid... was still awake! The cheering fans seemingly giving her a surge as well! Rose braced herself for a moment... She lowered her stance and put up her fists. Readying herself for another sortie! She watched her with dim, focused eyes. And then began to smile.

She was crawling! Not just crawling! She was dragging herself along the canvas! "You're like an insect!" She blurted out with a cruel laugh! "And you know what happens to insects! Don't you?"

Rose Gold raced to the ropes that were horizontal to Astrid! She built up the momentum again, just like with her Gilded Wizard! But this time when she reached Astrid she braced her foot on the back of her head and jumped! And stomped it into the canvas with a vicious curb stomp!

"They get stepped on!!!"

[CaptainL]

Astrid just needed to crawl a little bit further, she told herself. Just a little more, and she would have a good hold on the ropes, enough to pull herself up and stabilize herself with. Her head might have been aching, her ears ringing, but at least the end was in sight! Even if she had to bear Rose's mockery the whole time, Astrid knew that she would soon be able to turn everything around! The lightweight's cruel words reached her through a fog of dizziness, but it was still enough for Astrid to hear what she said to her, and enough to stoke her rage. She was attacking her pride and dignity as much as she was her body, and Astrid felt that sting. She turned back over her shoulder, looking at her opponent through a narrowed glare. "You just wait...until I get there..."

With her teeth clenched with focus, Astrid reached out to try and grab onto the ropes, her fingers stretching toward the cable with all her might. But it was just then that Rose struck. She bounced herself off the ropes, leaving the Norsewoman tensing up in preparation for the impact- which came in the form of a stomp to the back of her head, knocking her face down against the canvas with a loud thump! Astrid had tried to brace herself as much as she could, but there was only so much force she was capable of absorbing - especially when the back of her head was concerned!

"GAH-!" Astrid's face landed against the mat, and the canvas rumbled underneath her landing. Rose showed no signs of stopping in her onslaught, and Astrid could only weather the storm!

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold bounced back to her feet using Astrid's skull as a trampoline! The sound of the Heavyweight's head bouncing off of the canvas was stomach-turning and the audience let out sympathetic "Oh!"s.

The Sinister Siren had used the opening her lover had crafted impeccably. She'd rode high on the momentum and delivered two destructive blows to Astrid's head and neck. But now that the attacks had finished and the adrenaline spike faded, she couldn't help but grasp at her own neck and wince. The echoes of Astrid's gut-wrench suplex and her choke in the corner rippled throughout her tiny, lithe body. She'd only had her for a few seconds... And in that time she had brutalized her!

"You!" She snarled as she whipped her hand away from her own back. Her voice carried disdain and disgust. Disgust not just for Astrid, but for her own vulnerability as well. She presented herself as a golden goddess. An unassailable peak. Achilles without the heel. But the moment Astrid had taken hold of her, she looked just like any other girl...

Rose Gold reached down, brows knit, and took hold of one of Astrid's arms. She wrenched upon it, pulling her shoulder off the canvas and lifting her slightly. Just enough for her head to hang down and her face to be exposed. "You look down on me. And the way I wrestle. And the way I win-" She paused, something irritating her. It was the Norsewoman's face.

Rose Gold pressed her boot against the side of her cheek and thrust her leg forward! Scraping her face with her boot. A rough kick that would mar as much as it would hurt. More disrespectful than damaging. "LOOK AT ME!" She demanded as she did it.

"You think because I'm not like -you- that I'm lesser, don't you?" She scraped her face again! "Hora!" Her fingertips dug into Astrid's arm as her anger grew more intense.

"You think that because I'm smaller!" Another kick! "And I don't rely on raw strength! Or the rules!" And another! "That you're better than me!?" And once more!

"You're not better than me! Nobody is better than me!" And a final thrust came as she screamed. It was almost another stomp, intent on leaving Astrid's cheek pressed to the canvas with Rose Gold's boot upon the other.

"I'm undeniable!"

[CaptainL]

As Rose bent down to nurse her aching back, a few intrepid ringside photographers tried to get a quick flash of the action - hopefully before Rose herself caught on to their presence. Astrid didn't know it, but she had done the unthinkable. Even when Rose Gold had been met with punishment that seemed like it would lay any other woman of her size out flat, it never seemed to faze her. No matter what happened, she was always able to pull herself together and go on as though nothing had happened. This time, though...Astrid had done something more. She'd made sure that Rose could feel it, and it wasn't so easy for her to shrug it off. She had proven that, for all her posturing, boasting, and grandstanding, Rose was still human. She was still vulnerable.

And yet, Astrid wasn't even able to appreciate the fruits of her efforts. She was laid out on the mat, the blow to the back of her head leaving her seeing stars; her body felt too heavy for her to so much as lift her head off the canvas. She needed more time to rest and catch her breath before she could even look back at Rose - but that was time Rose wasn't going to afford her. Just a moment later, the blonde grabbed her by the arm, wrenching her up from the mat!

Astrid's face contorted in a wince as she looked up to see Rose standing before her - and a moment later, her foot cracked out, catching her upside the cheek and turning her head to the side with a pained moan! With each strike Rose landed she knocked Astrid's head from side to side, her tresses trailing after her as a string of spit flew from her clenched teeth. And each blow punctuated another line of Rose's thesis, which laid it all bare: Astrid might have been the larger woman of the two, but Rose wouldn't see her as a threat. Despite being dwarfed by her foe, Rose could only see her as yet another in a line of upstart usurpers who would dare to stand up to her, and see the results of their hubris!

After landing her last kick, Rose planted her foot against Astrid's cheek, holding the Norwegian woman's head firmly against the mat. She hissed under her breath as her face contorted in a grimace, more so from the shame of being so humbled than from the pain. But even as Rose's heel rubbed up against her face, forcing her deeper into the canvas, Astrid was defiant. As she let out a growl, she barked out her thoughts in no uncertain terms - she wouldn't be going down this easily. Astrid's belt might not have been on the line, but her honor was, and she wasn't going to part with it!

"Then...let me deny you!" Astrid shouted back. "No matter how strong you are, or how skilled...there will always be someone better than you. Because no one is perfect. Some day...you'll find someone who can surpass you. But...but that will always give you something to strive toward, to grow stronger and surpass them some day! Without anyone to challenge you, to inspire you, all you'll do is stagnate! You'll have nowhere to grow! And tell me...is that what you think success is? Would you want that? To grow complacent? To never have a reason to dedicate your heart and soul to your own good?"

As she spoke, Astrid began to plant a hand underneath her on the mat, trying to get a good purchase on its surface. She would try to push herself back up, hoping to break off Rose's weight. It was the least she could do in such a situation - but hopefully, even if she couldn't strike at Rose with her fists, her words would do!

[SuckerPunch]

Rose Gold looked down at Astrid as she spoke. She watched her jaw move despite having her face forced down onto the canvas. Rose Gold's monologue had become a dialogue, which only stoked the fire of her contemptuous anger further!

Her eyes twitched as she listened to Astrid and her fingers grasped tighter on her arm, their tips digging into her skin to the point where her nails might have bitten in. Her face contorted as if she'd been struck with a punch. The heavyweight's words had reached her, that much was clear. Her boot withdrew from Astrid's face, offering her a brief respite as the Sinister Siren considered her rebuttal.

She lowered herself to a squat. She then took hold of Astrid's hair and pulled her face off the mat, lifting her head so that she looked Rose Gold right in her overly-shadowed eyes. "Growth?" The anger in her expression finally melted away and for a moment, the muscles in her face relaxed and there was a calm. As if she had obtained something she didn't know that she'd wanted.

She held Astrid at eye level, arm in one hand, hair in the other. Her unnaturally bright golden eyes met the other woman's. "I think I understand you now, Astrid Ostberg." She licked her lips, wetting them as her composure continued to restore itself. "Competition and the spirit of sport are very important to you, aren't they? The pursuit of self-betterment and glory. To be recognized as the best. To inspire others."

She looked away from Astrid, toward the fans. For a moment she focused on the sea of sounds. Cheers, boos, chants, and catcalls. They congealed into a singular wall of sound. She looked back to Astrid as the noise overwhelmed her and made her stomach turn. The grip on Astrid's hair tightened painfully again. Her expression screwed up into something dark and hateful. More monster than man.

"You disgust me." She spat on the canvas. "Hollow, flowery words taken from the back of a cereal box. Tantamount to thanking the fans and God, for, without them, you wouldn't be here!" She began to stand, arching Astrid's back as she did so but maintaining eye contact. No longer was she kneeling in front of her as an equal... But now, looking down on her.

"Growth?!" She stepped forward so that Astrid's face hung precariously close to her hips. "Glory!?" She bared her teeth, offering a show of canine that made her look genuinely serpentine.

"I don't care about competition! Play by the rules like a good girl and you'll be rewarded? To hell with that naive trash!!! I've seen what this world is really like... AND I'M GOING TO TEAR IT DOWN!"

To a layman, it looked like her anger was bubbling over as she began jerking Astrid around. But to the experienced heavyweight, she knew this was something more. As Rose Gold stepped over her right shoulder it became apparent she was setting her up. Placing Astrid's head between her thighs with that held arm between them. It was a standing triangle choke. And if she could turn her hips over, rolling Astrid onto her back, she would be mounted. Trapped-

"AND I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU!" -In the Midas Clutch!!!

[CaptainL]

Rose had wanted this to be her stage. She was going to have the floor to say her piece, and to position herself as the rightful center of attention in this match, no matter what anyone else thought. But Astrid was dedicated, too - dedicated not to let Rose get away with this. The lightweight, with her cheating ways, her self-aggrandizing boastfulness, and her cruelty toward anyone who stood in her way, was, to Astrid, an encapsulation of everything wrong with wrestling - and everything that she, as a staunch advocate of honor and respectability, stood in opposition to. To let Rose have her say, to let her dominate the conversation, would be unthinkable to Astrid! Even if her face was being ground against the mat, even if her words were muffled against the canas, the Norsewoman was still going to fight it out to the end to ensure it was her voice that was being heard! She felt Rose's nails dig deeper into her arm, and her teeth clenched in a hiss as she pressed down on her from above, but Astrid wouldn't dare let this be the end of her!

At last, Rose moved. She stepped off of Astrid just enough to grab her by the hair, using it as a fulcrum to lift her from the canvas. The heavyweight's face contorted in pain as she felt the pressure on her scalp, but even through it all, the scowl on her face spoke to the depths of her hate for Rose, her gaze piercing straight through her. Astrid saw what this was. She had no hope of swaying Rose to her side. No, Rose already knew everything that Astrid held true about sportsmanship - she just held it all in contempt! It was then that Astrid's teeth clenched in a snarl, and her brows narrowed in with laser focus. There was no hope for Rose any more. She needed to end her.

But Astrid felt things start to shift, as Rose leaned in on the pressure and her legs settled into place. She stopped, then, a cold and piercing realization running through her mind. She knew exactly what Rose was about to do. She was down, she was in her clutches, and Rose was already getting into place for the finisher! If Astrid let Rose get away with this...then she had no hope of winning this match!

There was one thing Astrid still had on Rose, however. No matter how skilled her ground game was, and how cruel and underhanded she could be, Rose was still out of her weight class. There was only so much her technique could accommodate for being outweighed and overpowered! Astrid knew she had to act quickly, and she sucked a breath in through clenched teeth to steel herself. But if she could leverage her size, she just might stand a chance! While Rose was holding onto her arm, Astrid rolled to the side, attempting to swing that arm outward at the same time to catapult the lightweight off of her and across the ring!