Ambre Brault vs Astrid Ostberg

[winner3]

Standard Match
Victory to be awarded via pinfall, submission, knockout, count-out, or disqualification. All standard match rules apply.

[CaptainL]

At last, the time had come.

It was months ago that Ambre Brault had made a public announcement that she was looking to face off against Astrid Ostberg, the former LAW Heavyweight Champion. It hardly mattered to Ambre that Astrid no longer held the title - what mattered was that she had, at one point, and that told Ambre all she needed to know. The Frenchwoman was determined to prove herself as a worthy contender to the title of Heavyweight Champion, and to that end, she had decided she was going to take on everyone who had vied for the belt before, in order to make her case to Alaina Sanders. But she wanted to start with the woman who had held the title last - and when Astrid heard the call, she was happy to oblige.

She was impressed with the girl's spirit and her determination - how she was not only willing to go after the title, but to push herself to even greater lengths just to prove she had a chance. She didn't have to, but she did anyway, just to show the world she could. Astrid couldn't help but be reminded of herself, just a little - though she put that thought aside a moment later when thinking about the past brought up unwanted ruminations on whether or not she still had what it took after her title loss. Astrid grit her teeth - as she reminded herself, tonight would prove she still had it. She was doing this for herself as much as she was doing it for Ambre. She wouldn't hold back - and she wanted the world to see what she could do when she was at the top of her game.

But Astrid didn't want a match with Ambre right away. As a matter of fact, the Norwegian had chosen the occasion quite deliberately. When the two next crossed paths, it would be at Fight the LAW. The Norsewoman wanted Ambre to have the opportunity to train and hone her skills in the meantime - if she was going to fight a title match, Astrid wanted her to be ready for it. And she wanted to put Ambre to the test by putting her up to an even greater challenge - to prove that not only she could beat Astrid, but that she could do so with more scrutiny than ever if she was doing so at one of LAW's most hyped-up pay-per-view events.

Ambre, of course, wasn't going to look back. She welcomed the challenge. And they were set to meet again in Innsbruck. As she flew out to Austria, Astrid took a moment to think about how she would be returning to the country for the third time. She had wrestled there in her tour of the indies after winning the Heavyweight Championship, and before she had even come to LAW, she had trained under the great Sia Karnstein, who helped to shape her into the woman she was today. Tonight, if Ambre looked up to her this much, she would return the favor.

"Lllladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall! Coming first to the ring, by way of Stavanger, Norway! At 6'1, weighing 188 pounds, AAASTRID OSTBERG-ASHWORTH!!"

Spoiler

Music

Astrid might not have had the title any more, but that didn't mean her entrance was any less of an event! At the sight of her coming down the ramp, the fans eagerly burst into cheers - and Astrid held her head high with a grin, proudly flexing a bicep on the way past the ringside seats to show off her physique. When she stepped into the ring, her hands held high, the fans were only cheering her louder. For a moment, Astrid thought to herself, it was as though she had never dropped the belt in the first place. Yes, she'd missed such honors as these...

Nevertheless, it was time to get down to business. Settling into her corner, Astrid cracked her knuckles and sank down into a stance, doing a few last-minute stretches before she turned to face the ramp. "Alright, Ambre..." she muttered to herself, "time to see you live up to your promises..."

[Bearhug Goddess]

It's been 6 months since Ambre trained tirelessly to fill her gaps, improve her strengths and above all learn to fight against any type of opponent. It had been almost a year since she joined LAW and she had experienced many different types of opponents and personalities, but above all she reminded people that her goal and determination were serious. Ambre admired a lot of people and this evening, she was finally going to face Astrid Ostberg, whom she had challenged 6 months earlier. Even though it was her first PPV and it was a little stressful, Ambre looked at herself in front of her locker room mirror and could only think of everything she had experienced before this match... FOR this match. Even though Astrid was not the champion, she had the aura of a champion and despite her prowess at LAW, the Frenchwoman felt like a challenger against the champion. But fortunately this event took place in Austria, Ambre was able to take the opportunity to relax and think about something other than wrestling, even if the first days were rather difficult because of the stress.

Ambre's tweet in Austria

After getting lost in her thoughts for a few seconds, Ambre splashed her face with water to stay awake and concentrate. She looked at herself one last time in front of the mirror, arranging her new outfit that she had prepared especially for this match before warming up and stretching, she risked being called at any minute and she had to be ready. After several minutes, a member of the staff announced to her that it was her turn to go on stage and the Black Pearl sighed for a long time, evacuating all her stress, her doubts and her fears to leave them in the locker room before going out and to appear in public.

“And now, a rising star in wrestling, standing 5'8 and weighing 188lbs of pure muscle, AAAAMBRE BRAUUUULT !”

Theme

Ambre Brault

New outfit, new theme, same smile. Ambre greeted the audience with both hands and a smile as big as before, even if the spectators were more numerous this evening. She seemed so relaxed, casual and light in her movements that one had to wonder if this was really her first PPV match. After a few minutes, Ambre finally climbed into the ring and greeted the audience one last time before meeting Astrid's gaze.

"Miss Ostberg..."

She did not lower her eyes or her head, her gaze remained focused on her opponent's eyes as she walked towards her, with a determined and confident step but above all with a big smile. The Frenchwoman was far from being pretentious or having bad intentions, she was going to fight against one of her idols according to the rules and above all show her everything she was capable of this evening by giving the best of herself. She extended her hand forward, wanting to shake Astrid's hand before starting this match.

“I'm so happy to see you as my opponent today... Let's give our best and may the strongest one win !”

Following this little exchange, Ambre returned to her corner with a big smile so that the referee could finally start this match. She no longer saw Astrid as an idol now, she saw her as an opponent and that showed how much Ambre had evolved in 6 months. It was already a good start but who knows if it will be enough to prove to the world that she was worthy, strong and mature enough to be a champion?...

[CaptainL]

Some wrestlers, when challenged so directly by a rookie - a rookie who made no attempts to deny that she was after the same glory and grandeur Astrid herself had boasted of at the heights of her career - would have scoffed at the mere thought that they were on the same level. But not Astrid. There was one thing she had seen in Ambre Brault that shone brighter than anything else, and that was passion. The girl cared about nothing less than proving herself worthy of Astrid's place in the spotlight, and she was willing to go to any lengths in order to get there - no matter how hard the journey would be, she was ready to do what it would take. She had the spirit of a true wrestler in her - a wrestler who could very well find themselves champion one day. Astrid had given Ambre six months to train and prepare, and the Black Pearl had taken that to heart. She hadn't let a day go by that she wasn't striving to hold herself to Astrid's level. And today would be the culmination of all that effort - the day Astrid would put her to the test, to see if she really was Heavyweight Championship material.

When Ambre came to the ring, Astrid smiled to her, nodding her head respectfully. The way she spoke and the way she held herself all told her that Ambre took this seriously. She didn't hesitate a moment before taking Ambre's hand for a shake. "It's an honor," she said - something one might expect Ambre to say to Astrid rather than the other way around, but for the Norsewoman, to know she had gone on to influence the future of wrestling, and created a legacy that would be remembered, was all she needed to know. Ambre had taken all her lessons to heart. And if she could carry this same spirit into the ring - perhaps she would one day become a champion!

*DING DING DING*

But spirit would only get her so far. She still needed to put her money where her mouth was when it came to wrestling! Now, as the two heavyweights returned to their corners, the bell rang - and that signaled when the match would truly begin. At this, Astrid's expression went firm, her eyes narrowing on Ambre. She took a pointed step forward, bending low at the knees and raising her hands to offer a test of strength to the Frenchwoman. She already knew Ambre had her heart in the right place, but now, did she have the skills to back it up? That was hers to find out!

"Now...let's see you give it your best shot!"

[Bearhug Goddess]

Ambre spent her first seconds in the ring greeting her opponent, with great respect and seriousness. She had no reason to be stressed, she may have been facing a woman taller and more mature than her and an exceptional wrestler recognized by everyone in this league, but it wasn't grace. Ambre also had her qualities, she was strong despite her small size, learned quickly, knew how to adapt to improbable situations and was courageous. Few people were capable of challenging a former champion, face to face, being recognized by that person before finding themselves in the same ring to compete in a match.

Ambre was clearly lucky to share the same ring as one of her idols for the first time but tonight, people should be talking about her as the winner. She had to give everything she had, Astrid was a big wall in her way but she was not insurmountable. That's when Ambre returned to her ring, sighing slightly as she warmed up her wrists and shoulders before the bell rang.

*DING DING DING*

The silence. A silence settles in the room after the bell rings, unless it is only in the head the Black Pearl. Her gaze was focused and serious, fixing Astrid with a new look. During their first meeting, Ambre looked at Astrid like a fan seeing her idol, with stars in her eyes. But this time, Ambre looked at Astrid with the look of a challenger, wanting to prove something and above all wanting to surpass her opponent.

The Frenchwoman noticed her opponent's invitation for a test of strength and like any good heavyweight and powerhouse, Ambre accepted the challenge and approached the blonde giantess to grab her hands. Slowly pressing the palms of her hands against Astrid's before curling their fingers then taking a deep breath and starting to push Astrid with a good portion of her strength. The Black Pearl was recognized for her rather incredible strength tests, among all those she had she only lost one since the start of her career. Even though she was at a disadvantage compared to her size, her support on the ground prevented her from moving backwards and her arms were strong enough to push anyone away.

“Mmph !”

[CaptainL]

Ambre wasn't the only one who felt lucky. To Astrid, the opportunity to square off against a woman who regarded her as an icon and an inspiration, and who had put this much work into the pursuit of facing off against the Norsewoman one day, was an honor - she'd gotten plenty of praise and plenty of fan mail from people young and old who wanted to live up to example, but to meet one of those people face to face in the ring, and to take an active role in fulfilling their greatest dreams, was something new, and something even better. To Astrid, that was enough to tell her that she had made it - that all the hard work and effort she had put into furthering her career as a wrestler, and living up to the example of her family name, had paid off. She had earned the right for someone to want to call themselves her protege. For a fleeting moment, she thought, that meant more than any belt ever could.

But that thought didn't keep Astrid still for long. The moment she heard the bell, her eyes narrowed into a focused stare, and she took in a deep breath as she bent lower at the knees, raising her hands. Just because Astrid admired Ambre didn't mean she was going to hold back on her - quite the opposite, in fact. If Ambre wanted to face the Norsewoman at her strongest, Astrid was going to give her that challenge. It was up to her to live up to it. But Astrid was eager to see just what she could do - and from the determined look on Ambre's face, she was proud to see the Black Pearl was taking this to heart just as much!

Astrid was well aware that she held the advantage in terms of size. By all means, in a contest like this between her and Ambre, she should've been able to steer her foe around with ease - Ambre should well have buckled against the amount of force Astrid could command against her. But what Ambre lacked in size, she made up for in determination, and the raw will to make Astrid proud! No matter how much Astrid's teeth clenched and her muscles bulged, as she tried to summon more and more power to turn against Ambre, she couldn't get her to budge - and the fans were cheering just from the sight of how well Ambre could hold up against the former champion! The two women were locked in a standstill, their chests heaving with every breath and their muscles rippling against the strain - but neither moved an inch!

"Not...bad! Not bad indeed-!" Astrid said, nodding to Ambre as she peered down to look her in the eye. "Anyone who can make me struggle in a test of strength has something going for them..." But if that wasn't enough to break the stone wall that was Ambre Brault, Astrid was just going to try harder! With a huff, she leaned in closer still. Her chest flattened against Ambre's own, and her fingers clenched tightly around the Frenchwoman's knuckles, as she tried to push downward. She growled through her teeth, determined to see if she could force Ambre to one knee!

[Bearhug Goddess]

The match had really just started and it was quite strong and impressive. The two wrestlers agreed to start this match with a test of the noblest strength, no punches, no throws, just pure strength between two powerful heavyweights. The duel was incredible to see for the spectators, Ambre and Astrid gave their maximum in this event and neither managed to push the other back, creating debates among the public who wondered which of these two powerful wrestlers would go end up going backwards first.

Ambre expected exactly this kind of physical prowess coming from Astrid, the strength of the giantess was powerful enough to make her legs tremble which had a perfect position and support against the mast in addition to being powerful enough to prevent the French to push her back. But even though it was difficult, Ambre still saw her victory as possible and it wasn't just because of her determination, she still had strength in reserve and it was only the beginning of this match.

"Hmmm... Thank you...! It's an.. Honor... !"

The Black Pearl's gaze did not leave Astrid's and faced with her opponent's compliments, Ambre smiled slightly. It was a small smile, enough to show that she was having fun and happy to be in this ring but not enough to distract her. However, Astrid redoubled her effort the next few seconds, now using her size to her advantage, if she couldn't make Ambre back off she was going to make her go down.

The first seconds were difficult for the Black Pearl who began to bend down and lean her upper body backwards, forcing a little more on her legs and a little less on her arms to avoid falling so quickly and stupidly. Astrid's body did not help her as the Norwegian also used her body to push back the Frenchwoman who was now struggling to push back her opponent.

“Nghhh!.. Aaaaaah!!”

But Ambre had not given up and even in this situation she still saw her victory. She took a deep breath before gritting her teeth, letting one of her legs slide behind her while the second was bent slightly forward. Her muscles swelled slightly and Ambre redoubled her efforts to stand up while pushing her opponent away. With her arms, her chest, her forehead slightly sweaty and her foot behind pushing against the mat, Ambre used all the muscles in her body to push Astrid back while standing up straight again, like at the beginning of this test of strength.

[CaptainL]

Even if they were going face to face at one of the company's biggest events, Astrid had nothing but respect for Ambre. She saw in her the makings of a model wrestler - she was determined to improve her craft, and she took Astrid's advice to heart, working hard to make herself into an opponent worthy of the former champion. With the sounding of the bell, both women had agreed to an honorable test of strength, putting themselves on even ground to see, truly, who was the stronger woman of the two. Ambre had no qualms about accepting Astrid's challenge - she had enough faith in her strength to feel like she could take her. And Astrid would quickly see that that faith was well-placed, when the two of them found themselves locked in a stalemate!

No matter how much Astrid's muscles flexed and bulged, or how much she tried to push her weight forward, Ambre returned every move with one of her own, bringing them right back to where they started! Astrid's teeth were clenched in a tight grimace, and her eyelid twitched under the pressure she felt bearing down on her shoulders - from the force Ambre had mustered against her, and just as much from drive to live up to her challenge and give Ambre a match worthy of even her own most fearsome rivals. But Astrid wasn't the least bit frustrated. If Ambre was making things this hard for her, it meant that she had delivered on her promises - and Astrid was proud to share a ring with a woman of such integrity and commitment!

But as the Norsewoman shifted her weight, straightening her back to push down on Ambre from above, that was enough to make Ambre falter. The Black Pearl's knees quaked and trembled as her stance began to waver, and slowly but surely she began to sag lower under the brunt of Astrid's push, dipping closer and closer to the mat. Astrid smiled, pleased with the results, but she kept a close eye on Ambre all the while to see how she'd respond. And sure enough...Ambre wasn't content to concede the advantage for long! Just as soon as Astrid weighed her down, she dug her heels into the mat - and with a few forceful pushes, she was able to shove herself straight back up, forcing herself past the weight Astrid exerted against her!

Seeing such a move from the brunette, Astrid's eyes went wide. She had been impressed with Ambre's strength and tenacity already - but if she was capable of doing this, she was no doubt worthy of her praise! "Incredible..! I can already tell...this will be a close match," Astrid muttered, nodding her head to her foe. Still, no amount of respect she had for Ambre was going to make her go easy on her! As her eyes narrowed back down, Astrid let out a huff and shoved forward once again. She bent lower at one knee, and her foot began to slide back across the canvas, but she wasn't done yet. She was just going to brace herself so that she could stand in Ambre's way, pushing back at her with even greater force - and no matter how much her arms were beginning to ache from the strain she was putting them through, she was't going to give up!

[Bearhug Goddess]

The seconds passed and the test of strength was still as tight as ever between the two wrestlers, even if Ambre had just come out of a delicate moment. She couldn't compare this test of strength with any other because it was the first time she found herself facing a woman as strong as her and taller and to be honest, having managed to match Astrid and escape from the defeat was already a lot for the Black Pearl which had hoped for several months to be capable of this.

But it's been a while since her opponent complimented her and took her seriously, she no longer had to "hope" for this kind of thing because she had been able to prove that she was capable of it...

Ambre continued to grit her teeth and continued to push her opponent after having managed to stand up but Astrid did not give in and managed to push back the strength of the Frenchwoman who was starting to tire. It wasn't good, really not good, Ambre's biggest weakness was in her endurance and if the strength test continued like that, she was inevitably going to lose due to lack of energy.

“Tsk!…”

The Black Pearl clicked her tongue as she felt her arms and legs tired after so much pressure and after giving her muscles so much work. Although her face showed that she was worried, she also noticed that Astrid's arms were starting to weaken from fatigue as well. If this was really the case, Ambre could rest assured because it meant that her training over the last 6 months was starting to bear fruit, enough for her endurance to match that of a champion. It made her forget all her doubts and worries and gave her a chance to win this match.

And unlike at the start of the match, where Ambre hoped to match her opponent, this time Ambre was looking further than that. She had just matched Astrid so she had to go to the next level, surpass her.

“Aaah... Hmmmmmmmmmm!!”

Ambre remained rather silent and took a deep breath before holding her breath. She flexed her muscles slightly and used all her strength to overpower Astrid by pushing her backwards. This technique was double-edged, it had to work quickly because it was very tiring and limited in time. The Black Pearl was far from having unlimited breath and endurance, so she figured that giving everything to win this test of strength was worth it if it could prove to Astrid and everyone watching this match that she was capable of surpassing one of the best wrestlers in her division.

[CaptainL]

Astrid could feel Ambre's stance begin to waver. She still huffed under her breath and clenched her teeth as she summoned the resolve she needed to push her weight forward, and she could feel the aches and pains settling into her own muscles as she forced them to work, but she had confidence in her ability to hold herself steady even in the face of Ambre's encroaching push. Though the two women seemed evenly matched at first, it seemed that a rift was starting to become apparent. Endurance was one of Ambre's weak points, but it was also one of Astrid's proudest strengths. The Frenchwoman was beginning to tire out, but Astrid could still go!

And yet...Astrid didn't look smug or satisfied about that. If she managed to overpower Ambre here, thanks to a difference in stamina, that wouldn't do Ambre any favors. No, Astrid was most interested in seeing if her opponent was capable of surpassing her limits - of managing to fight through the incredible strain Astrid was putting on her, and refusing to let herself be cowed by her weaknesses. If Ambre could pull that off, she would confirm she had the determination to place herself in contention for the Heavyweight Championship she was after. And Ambre was trying her best to do just that!

Sucking in a deeper breath, Ambre managed to push herself straighter. Her muscles pulled taut beneath her skin, looking ready to burst - and, as she drew in another gulp of air, it gave her the power to push just a little bit further. Astrid's stance had been quivering and waverng, but at last, that was too much. Because of that, Astrid was forced to take a step back! The mere sight of the resolute Norwegian being moved by Ambre was enough to make many onlookers in the stands gasp. But Astrid simply couldn't take it any further!

She was bent over at the waist, forced to fold in half so that she wouldn't lose her grip on Ambre even as she stepped back. Her knees were trembling as she tried to brace herself against the force coming her way. But she knew she couldn't last forever - with each passing moment, the aches in her arms, her shoulders, and her back grew more and more, and she felt like she could give out at any moment. Astrid knew she needed to throw a wrench into Ambre's plans - at the very least, she wasn't going to go down without a fight! With that, she pulled backward, attempting to reel Ambre closer, and hopefully compromise her balance in the process!