Audrey Trovita vs. Big Bad Brad - More Than You Can Chew

[BlackAkuma]

***
Match Type
Standard
Victory Conditions
Pinfall, Submission, or KO
***

With most wrestlers, you would think that they would be nervous on their first match. Even if they’d wrestled before, there was nothing quite like being on the biggest stage of them all for the first time. Being watched by millions, having your every move scrutinized, knowing that countless fans would dissect every step you took for decades to come, if not longer. It was a lot to take in, and many people would’ve struggled to form coherent thoughts in such a situation.

As Brad came out of the curtain and made his way down to the ring for his first match in LAW, only one thing registered in his mind, one subject that had any fundamental importance, one problem that occupied the bulk of his focus, even as his

hundred around him: what would he have for dinner tonight?

Brad, In Action

It was a substantial concern. Ever since he’d come over to Japan, he’d been struggling to find food that suited him. He’d grown up with a specific set of food - grits, chitlins, collard greens, good Southern cooking, but not the sort of stuff you found that often in this hemisphere. He’d been making due with fast food, if only so he could have some familiar tastes, but that was getting old real quick. He’d have to try the local cuisine sooner or later.

It was the #1 thing on Brad’s mind as he made his way down the ramp, with his opponent for the night being a distant second. He hadn't paid much attention to the match card, knowing her up against some chick named Audrey or Aubrey or something like that. Also pretty new to the roster, not that it mattered. He knew the kind of women that LAW liked to hire. If he was lucky, she wouldn’t be a total embarrassment in the ring and he could make this match last more than two minutes. If he was unlucky, she’d be some joke of a wrestler who didn’t know a powerbomb from a wrist lock, and the only real challenge would be keeping his attention span in check long enough to do one more and end things, nice and tidy.

Whatever the case, he had a job to do, and he wasn’t getting paid by the hour, so he was of a mind to finish it fast. He scaled up the steps, slipped through the ropes, and raised his fist up to a tepid response from the audience - most of them had no clue who he was, and those that did know him better than to expect much. If they were here for some dumb kind of sex match, well, then now was as good a time as any to go for a piss break. He wasn’t about that kind of life.

With hands in pockets, Brad made his way over to his corner, leaned against the corner, pulled out a cigarette and proceeded to have himself a quick light, smoking up as the referee glared his way. ”Hey, uh…”[/color] He looked back to Brad as his music began to die down. ”This is…you can’t smoke in here, sir.”

Brad brought the cigarette away from his lips long enough to give the man his best blank stare, making sure he could see how few fucks he gave. ”Uh-huh.” And back to it he went.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

You can do this.

These were the words Audrey spun around inside her head on repeat like a broken record. It was a desperate - somewhat futile - attempt to ease her nerves before her next fight. She stood in front of a mirror in the locker room. Her own determined expression stared back at her, betrayed by the trembling of her knees and the shaky breath she exhaled that fogged up the glass.

Attire

She'd picked up the habit of looking up her opponents before a fight from a fellow fighter at her old promotion. In some ways, she'd almost wished she hadn't. Her opponent tonight was a hulk of a man known simply as 'Big Bad Brad'. He'd seemingly not yet had a match at LAW, at least none that she could find, but honestly she wasn't sure it would have mattered. Brad was a big, beefy, muscular type, taller than Audrey by over a foot and nearly times as heavy. The kind of opponent that could easily break her in half if he so much as shook her hand too aggressively.

Not that these types of opponents were uncommon for the poor redhead. She'd gotten several of them at her last promotion, and it seemed as though her luck wasn't going to improve here, either. Having prior experience against his type did nothing to settle her nerves - all it meant was she knew she was going to need a long ice bath at the end of the night.

You can do this! she told herself again with a shake of her head, attempting to clear those self-defeating thoughts. You know what you have to do. Use your speed. Don't get caught. Throw him off balance. Use the ropes for extra momentum. Turn his own muscle against him.

Because that's always worked out so well in the past, she argued with herself.

She sighed. This match was happening, regardless of her inner turmoil. And really, she'd need to learn how to overcome walls like him at some point if she was going to take on some of the more... unsavory types this league had to offer. Well, she thought as she took a deep breath, on the bright side, at least this one's not a sex fight.

--------

Audrey watched Brad's intro with interest, mostly as a means to put her nerves out of her mind while she awaited her turn. She couldn't tell if he was confident or apathetic as he made his way down the ramp, virtually ignoring the crowd. Hell, it almost looked as though his mind was elsewhere! He did at least throw up a fist when he reached the ring.

Entrance Theme

Brad's theme broke off and Audrey's began. Contrary to her opponent, Audrey did her best to play up the crowd as she made her way down, waving and twirling and even giving a couple high-fives as she passed. Who knew what they were cheering for - maybe she actually did have fans, or maybe they just expected to see a slaughter in the arena tonight. It was always hard to tell with LAW's audiences. But the redhead would play the game anyway; she wanted them on her side, win or lose, and that started with being someone they enjoyed seeing, regardless of what actually happens to her in the ring.

She made her way through the ropes, but stopped in the center of the ring. She hesitated to get too close to her huge opponent, and not entirely out of anxiety. She wrinkled her nose at his cigarette. Still, she stood tall and held out a hand for a shake, hoping it wouldn't prove a costly mistake. She absolutely needed to stay out of his reach or she'd be dead, and she knew attacks sometimes happened before the bell. But that was no reason not to be polite and if nothing else, she had her pride. The least she could do was offer this sign of respect.

What did she even say to him? 'Good luck'? He wasn't likely to need it.

She settled for: "Let's give 'em a good show."

[BlackAkuma]

He supposed he could try sushi. He’d always been a little curious about that. The closest thing he’d ever had to it before was Panda Express, and even he knew that was the Japanese equivalent of Taco Bell. The chopsticks were awkward, though. He was left-handed and big-handed, and they would feel weird with his fingers. He could just bring a fork, he supposed, but he didn’t want to be the only damn one in the restaurant using one and look like a dumbass. Then again, he could get takeout, eat in private, skip all that…

Brad was still pondering his options when his music finally dropped out and his opponents took over, going for this symphonic metal-sounding riff that reminded him of Nightwish. Not his style, he liked his metal harder, but at least it wasn’t some J-Pop crap. Sounded like something out of that Castlevania anime. He needed to finish watching that, got up to the fourth episode and lost track. Was it still on Netflix?
Sh
He managed to find his focus long enough to notice his opponent making her way into the ring, and sure enough, he wasn’t all that impressed. Short. Redhead. Kind of cute. Seemed to have some sort of cheerleader thing going on. She didn’t look like one of those lame porn wrestlers that were all over the place, but she wasn’t exactly an intimidating figure. He was probably twice her size, literally.

Brad grunted at her little pep talk and puffed out a cloud. ”Yeah, don’t see that happening.” He snorted, snuffed the cigarette out on the top turnbuckle, then flicked it out into the audience. That didn’t make him any fans. Surprise surprise. ”Let’s get it done, then.”

Brad stepped out of the corner as the referee called for the bell, earnestly starting the match, rolling his shoulders as he neared her with large, lumbering steps. He didn’t see the need to rush in. Not his style, and he figured he might as well let her take a shot first, get her licks in before he lowered the boom.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Well... not the worst start she'd ever had, but it wasn't exactly a promising one, either.

Brad still looked as though his thoughts were elsewhere while Audrey had climbed into the ring, even as he looked her over. His words didn't inspire confidence, either... although, she couldn't really blame him for that, at least. Their size and power difference was obvious. This was going to be a massive uphill battle. She frowned a bit as she lowered her hand, but nodded in reply. She didn't say anything else; there wasn't any need.

He stomped towards her at the bell. Not very fast, as she expected, but he hardly needed to be, either. With that size, his strides covered a lot of ground. She'd need to slip around him somehow, attack him from behind where she was out of reach of his massive arms. Find a way to get him on the ground.

Her plan, then, hinged on getting behind him. Staying out of reach was the most important thing. His stride made it impossible to baseball slide between his legs, but maybe she could run in and sidestep him instead, possibly duck under his reach if he tried to grab her. Risky, but she was quick, so maybe...

If that worked, she'd want to gauge what it would take to topple him over. She'd bounce herself off the ropes and leap at him with that extra momentum, aiming a dropkick at his back (or chest, or stomach, depending on how high she could reach and how quickly he could turn around). She didn't expect it to actually knock him off his feet, of course, but it would buy her a bit of time to figure out another plan... going for his legs, maybe...

Of course, none of this mattered if she wasn't able to simply get behind him.

[BlackAkuma]

It took a monumental effort, but Brad finally managed to give an entire shit and actually pay attention to the woman in front of him. While Audrey wasn’t much to look at physically, he could tell the woman was bursting with energy. He could already tell that the real trick would be getting his hands on her in the first place. She thought she could outmaneuver him, use her agility to stay one step ahead and whittle him down. Not a bad plan, it might work on some people, but the gap was way too big for Brad. She’d danced around, he’d take some hits, she’d make a mistake, and it would all be over in a flash—same old story.

Regardless, even though he knew how the book would end, he still had to turn the pages, so he might as well get to it. He came in with arms raised, looking to grab her, and sure enough, Audrey exploded into a ball of motion, dancing around the ring at high speeds. She was here, she was there, she was every damn where, and when he tried to catch her with a lunge, she ducked under it and dashed to his blindside

He could hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet, feel her bouncing off the ropes, and he could hazard a good guess on what was coming next. Sure enough, she leaped up and hit him with a dropkick in the back. It made him grunt and step forward, while he winced as the pain in his spine, but beyond that? Not too much. She’d need more if she wanted to chop this tree down. A fuckton more.

Bad Brad lumbered about and looked Audrey’s way as she rose back from the drop kick. He wasn’t too fast, but he knew a good opportunity when he saw one, and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers. As she stood up, he charged in with his arm extended and dipped low, trying to land a clubbing lariat to drop her flat.

One hit. He just needed one hit.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

So far, so good. Her plan was a success...

Sort of.

The redhead proved she definitely had the speed advantage, as she expected. She was able to slip around him without too much effort. She found her opening and launched her kick. Again, as predicted, the mountain of a man barely stumbled. Arguably, it had worked better than she expected; he'd stumbled. She could still hurt him a bit, but... if that was all she relied on, she'd tire herself out long before damaging him enough to matter. She'd have to try something else. But step one was complete; she knew she could get behind him. That was a start. Maybe, if she could reach his throat, she could choke him out...

But as she got to her feet and saw him barreling towards her, she realized the flaw in her opening move. Starting with an attack that left her on the ground and took away her speed advantage had been a rookie mistake, one she unfortunately learned the hard way.

She'd only managed to rise to one knee before her foe was on top of her. Her eyes were wide with panic and she made an attempt to dive underneath his arm, but she acted far too late!

Black spots exploded in the redhead's vision when Brad's muscle connected with her head. She was flung backwards harshly, landing on the mat hard on her spine. Her body bounced in recoil once before coming to rest, her limbs falling uselessly at her sides.

What... had just happened? There were lights above her, but they were blurry... and in motion. Her head was spinning. Hands instinctively reached up to rub her temples; not that they could do anything about the massive headache she was now feeling. Was this how it felt to be hit by a truck?

[BlackAkuma]

Yep, figured that was going to happen. It happened a lot quicker than Brad was expecting, but this was where things would always wind up - with Audrey on the floor, hurting while he stood over her body.

His lariat connected and dropped her like a sack of mouldy potatoes, laying her out and damn near taking her head off. He hadn't even putting that much force into it, but that was the strength gap between them, this was just the inevitable result. Bad Brad took a moment to dust himself off, rubbing the slightly sore spot on his back where her dropkick connected, in no real hurry to finish this off. He took a step her way, only to pause when he was met with the sound of rising boos from the audience, acting like he’d done something underhanded.

He threw his head back and rolled his eyes, making sure the crowd knew just how little of a shit he gave about their opinions on the subject. It was a match, and no one had put a gun to Audrey’s head to get her in here. If she couldn't handle things, well, that was her problem. He was going to do his job, fuck it.

”Up ya get.” He reached down, grabbed her head with hand, proceeded to lift her up off the mat, forcing her to stand whether she wanted to or not. He brought that same hand away from her head, only to give her a hard shove into the nearest, pushing her back up against it to keep her standing. She’d need it for this next part.

Bad Brad took a step back, then lashed out, throwing a stiff, powerful chop to her chest, looking to light her up with the rough blow.

[ThurmanMermanPlx]

Sounds began to rouse Audrey from her daze. Long, drawn out... sounded like multiple smaller sounds in unison. She latched on to the noise, something - anything - to help her focus. It was... they were boos. People. People were booing.

The redhead blinked some of the blur out of her vision, which begun to clear. The lights on the ceiling came into focus - just long enough for a giant hand to obscure them! Audrey let out a startled gasp as the hand closed around her face, and she soon felt her body hefted off the mat! Again, purely on instinct, she reached up to clutch at the arm holding her, if only to ease the strain her neck was suffering as a result of supporting the rest of her weight.

By some small miracle, she was quickly set back on her feet. But she was given no time to collect her bearings before she was shoved backwards. She stumbled into a corner post, her arms slumping over the top-most ropes. With some distance between them, she could see Brad in front of her, prepping his follow-up! A simple strike; no time to evade!

"Argh!!"

His chop lashed her chest, leaving a sharp stinging sensation behind! If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought she was just struck by a bloody brick! One arm left the ropes to rub at the sore spot; no doubt she'd have an ugly bruise there later. A bit higher and he might have hit her collarbone! She was able to stay on her feet thanks to her positioning, but that was small comfort when she was cornered like this...

"Is that... all you got?" she groaned defiantly through grit teeth.

He was still close... too close. He'd just keep chopping her if she didn't do anything. So she lashed out, aiming a kick at his shin!

[BlackAkuma]

Yeah, Brad didn’t care that much about crowd support. He’d already accepted that the Japanese audience wouldn’t like him all that much. He wasn’t some skinny simp who got into the league just to wrestle hot chicks. He didn't’ do flips or hurricanranas or whatever gymnast crap they went for. He was just a bone-to-bone hardcore wrestler, plain and simple, and he wasn’t making any apologies for it. They could sit and spin.

…it probably didn't help that he flicked a cigarette into the audience, either, come to think of it. Whatever.

He shrugged and focused back on his opponent, if you could even call her that, shaking his hand to get some of the feeling back after that chop. She took it like a champ to her credit, managing to stay on her feet despite nearly having her chest caved in. If he cared, he might’ve been impressed.

He was about to give her another one, when her words made her stop and pay attention. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, conveying a clear ‘Are You Serious’ message. Maybe this was some kind of fetish thing, like she got off on dude’s beating her around the ring? Whatever the case, if she wanted the rough stuff, he’d oblige.

”Nope.”

As if to prove that point, he grabbed her by the wrist, twisted around, and sent her running towards the farthest corner with an Irish Whip, putting no small amount of his full power behind it to hurl her across the ring. As son as she hit the turnbuckle, he rushed in with arms open and tried to hit her with an Avalanche, looking to sandwich her between the pads and his bulk.

[BlackAkuma]

Yeah, Brad didn’t care that much about crowd support. He’d already accepted that the Japanese audience wouldn’t like him all that much. He wasn’t some skinny simp who got into the league just to wrestle hot chicks. He didn't’ do flips or hurricanranas or whatever gymnast crap they went for. He was just a bone-to-bone hardcore wrestler, plain and simple, and he wasn’t making any apologies for it. They could sit and spin.

…it probably didn't help that he flicked a cigarette into the audience, either, come to think of it. Whatever.

He shrugged and focused back on his opponent, if you could even call her that, shaking his hand to get some of the feeling back after that chop. She took it like a champ to her credit, managing to stay on her feet despite nearly having her chest caved in. If he cared, he might’ve been impressed.

He was about to give her another one, when her words made her stop and pay attention. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, conveying a clear ‘Are You Serious’ message. Maybe this was some kind of fetish thing, like she got off on dude’s beating her around the ring? Whatever the case, if she wanted the rough stuff, he’d oblige.

”Nope.”

As if to prove that point, he grabbed her by the wrist, twisted around, and sent her running towards the farthest corner with an Irish Whip, putting no small amount of his full power behind it to hurl her across the ring. As son as she hit the turnbuckle, he rushed in with arms open and tried to hit her with an Avalanche, looking to sandwich her between the pads and his bulk.