[ThePurpleVixen]

Em and I slide in on either side of the ringpost, leaving the ref with his fists bunched in the air, ready to throw the Ten Fingers of Finality. I'm sure he'd like that.  Then he could ring the bell and escape and get home in time for NCIS with no more blood getting splattered on him.

But we beat the count.

I come up to my boots with my lip split and a high-riding bruise on my cheekbone.  Em's forehead is split and her jaw is hammered.  We both look like the leftovers from a Hong Kong streetfight.

And as far as I'm fucking concerned, we're just getting started.

There's a long second where we just stare at each other before we both charge at an unheard signal.  I launch the first punch, a high left cross that snaps her jaw to the side, but she whips right back, driving her knuckles into my battered abs.  The crowd might be doing their BOO/YAY bullshit again, but I'm not listening now.  I'm not thinking of whatever plans Calli is weaving or how my merch is doing or what Rowan Chance is up to.

I'm just thinking of the next punch.

I drive my right fist into her side and she hammers me across the cheek. I swing my arm across my chest and catch her with a nasty uraken across the lips that wobbles her knees.  She comes back with a heavy right forearm! I shake that off but she launches another, only for me to catch her right arm with my left and yank it back in a snaking joint lock, opening her up.  I piston my right fist into her battered, bruised belly three times, folding her up beautifully and leaving her gasping and groaning.

I back up a few steps, measuring her off and getting ready to rush in and hammer a Yakuza kick across that pretty Italian jaw - but as I come speeding in Layne snakes her arm between my thighs and another over my shoulder, and there's a loud noise that whites everything out for a second!

LvK: HOLY COW! Layne catches Punky coming in with a BEAUTIFUL snap powerslam!  She's got both legs hooked!

RP: DON'T BE A FOOL, LAYNE!  THEY'LL BREAK YOUR SKULL IF YOU WIN!

LvK: Oh, LORD that was close.  Dow somehow managed to kick free of the double cradle!

I see the lights fading back in and squint an eye open at them. God damn it, I think that bitch Orton'd me over when I came running in. My head's ringing as she appears above me, mouthing curses in beautifully musical Italian.  She drags me up by the punkytails - bitches CANNOT keep their hands off my punkytails and takes me by the wrist, slinging me across the ring.  My boots pound the canvas and I manage to twist to take the impact on my back.

At cons sometimes wiseasses will get the nerve up to ask me some fourth-wall question about wrestling, like "How is it you always turn around to hit the ropes or the turnbuckles with your back, hyuk hyuk."  You ever crashed into steel buckles tits-first?  It's NOT SOMETHING YOU DO TWICE if you can help it.

I sag back against the buckles and let my arms hang on the rope for a second.  Deep breaths.  That's what called for here.  In through the nose, out through the mouth.  Breaths to center myself.  Pranayana breaths, taking me back to the Cascade forests.

Even with my eyes closed, I can hear Layne's charging feet above the roar of the crowd.  I push off the ropes at just the right beat and I grin, blood on my chin as my eyes open and meet hers with an electric snap.  I duck under her right arm and slam my right fist into her shoulder.  My taped hand slides down to snatch her left wrist, shoving it down between her thighs as I lean down and reach behind her, catching it with my left hand.  With her right arm braced behind my neck and her left hand caught between her legs, folding her up like origami, I bend my knees low and ROAR as I straighten up.  The momentum carries the heavier girl overhead and SLAMS her head and neck into the turnbuckles with a crash that shakes the ring!

LvK: GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST!

RP: That's the Master Exploder.  That's it.  That's game.  Turn out the lights, the party's friggin' over.

LvK: Dow ties Layne up in a MURDEROUS overhead suplex right into those steel buckles, and now drags her off the ropes for the pin!


I haul Emily's deliciously limp, crumpled body over the canvas like a sack of cavatappi.  I hook her leg and slither across her, twining my legs around her far leg and pressing my forearm across her throat.

"ONE!" booms the ref.

"Smarten the *BEEP* up and stay the *BEEP* down," I snarl at her.

"TWO!" and the crowd is counting along, hatred of me notwithstanding.  Layne is a fucking RAGDOLL. For some reason, though, she doesn't listen to my excellent advice and convulses like a landed marlin.

"TH- TWO!  THAT'S TWO!"

RP: HOW THE HELL DID SHE DO THAT?!

LvK: Emily Layne showing some AMAZING resilience, and even this audience - who have NO love for Megan Dow or the Countdown - seem absolutely SHOCKED!

"That was such a DICK MOVE," I hiss down at Layne as I roll over and onto one knee.  I climb to my boots and whirl on the cowering referee.

"GERRY, YOU PIECE OF *BEEP*ing rotten *BEEP*, WHERE THE *BEEP*ing *BEEP* DID YOU LEARN TO *BEEP*ING COUNT?!"

[Emily Layne]

Blow after blow, I realize that I can fight this weirdo freak in her own style, we brawled in the ring, outside the ring,over the table, God knows what would have happened if this match would have been stipulated as falls count everywhere!

Probably we would find each other brawling through the fountain outside the arena or in the mall store of the next street!

I'm ready to nail her with a devastating clothesline into the turnbuckle when she jumps off and nail one of her infamous suplexes.

The impact against the turnbuckle is shockingly stunning, it daze me badly and her voice seems to be far away from me when she yells down at me to stay down.

Bad advice!

I'm not sure I kicked out the pin, until I hear the loud and shocking gasp from the crowd which happens when Gerry shows the two fingers in the air.

RP: I want to see the replay! The count was three! I heard the third slap!

LVK: Two count Perle! The match is still on!

I roll on my side holding my head with both hands before slowly makin my way on hands and knees, gasping and rubbing my head and neck, tryin to wipe some pain off me.

Punky is incensed, she is really furious with the ref, he threaten to disqualify her but she doesn't care a lot.
She keeps yelling at Gerry face!

Though she makes a big mistake, she is giving me her back.
Probably that wasn't such cc big mistake with the old Emily, now its such a huge mistake with the new Emily!

I make my way up on my feet, staggering toward the purple haired woman and explode the best kick I can toward the back of her legs, makin her fall down on her knees!
I wipe some hair off my sweaty and bloody forehead and I wrap my right arm around her neck and force her body to bend backwards while I plant my left knee down on the mat, right knee planted on the middle of her back as I trap her in my dragon sleeper!

LVK: Oh My God! The Pearly Gates! Layne is trapping Dow in her lethal submission hold!

RP: And another attack from behind! Italians...

LVK: Will Dow give it up?

The crowd is all on their feet.
I apply as much pressure I can, my left arm hooking on her inked right bicep, not giving her a chance to use it!
The ref is checking the hold, asking Dow and motioning with his hands

"What do you say Megan? Talk to me!"

"F*beep* off! You and your.."

I add pressure to the hold, bending her upperbody back in a terrible angle,
This time, Megan breasts are in display,pushing against the fabric of her cut shirt.

I put as much pressure I can, I never thought that I could make her submit, but I want to knock her out and send her to dreamland!

Punky lifts up her free right arm, moving her fingers, showing she is still awake.

I don't have mercy, and I start to grind my arm down, on her mouth and nose, adding more brutality to the already rough hold.

Megan arm starts to go limp, until it touches the ground.
The countdowners are all ready to join the ring and make a visit.

LVK: it looks like Punky is about to sleep!

RP : you talk too much Van Keel! Its all about tactic!

Gerry grabs on Dow wrist, he lifts it up before releasing grip.
Megan arm falls limp.
Then he does again, the arm falls limp again.

Everyone is on their feet, they are all waiting for the third time.

But Megan arm stays up!

Another gasp of shock coming from the full arena!

LVK: Punky arm is still alive!

I look at the arm and curl my lips in a snarl, frustrated, I am about to add some extra effort, but my eyes are reached by some nasty scratching that makes me yelp and release the hold!

"F*beep*" I rub my eyes, my face is a mask of blood.
Does she want more? She asked for Made In Heaven!
I pull her up by her pig tails again, and harden my now tired muscles to lift her up over my shoulders to set up my psycho driver,surrounded by excited roars coming from the audience.

[ThePurpleVixen]

Fucking hell, I'm still dizzy as fucking Ash Wednesday in New Orleans.

God-damn Layne had my neck wrapped up in a steel cable.  I swear to Eris, I was looking down a long fucking tunnel and seeing Misawa and Bruiser Brody beckoning me into the fucking light.  Fortunately, I've got the survival instincts of a god-damn sewer rat, and I manage to claw her eye halfway out of her head.

LvK: I say this with the highest possible sense of respect - Megan Dow is essentially a feral animal.

RP: She throws some pretty decent suplexes for a feral animal.

LvK: And I think she might be rabid.

Layne manages to overcome her sudden attack of pirate vision to drag me up off the mat.  I'm mostly a sack of cement still, sluggish as fuck after the dragon sleeper, but I'm not so out of it that I don't realize what's about to happen when the big Italian broad slings me over her shoulders.  The crowd is on their feet in anticipation of seeing me get driven like a fucking nail into the mat.

Unfortunately for those bloodthirsty fuckwits, nothing clears my head quite like my contrarian nature.

I snake my arms back and lace them around Emily's jaw, digging my fingers into the soft nerves in her chin and yanking her head back. The pain loosens her grip on my hips and I swing my legs back, dizzy but lithe as a fucking Russian gymnast, and I shove my skull-pattern knee socks into the center of Emily's back as I drop behind her, locking my fingers under her jaw.  My weight drags her into a lovely backbend before she topples over, and we drop to the mat, taking the impact on my shoulders as I drive my knees into her spine.

RP: HOT DAMN!

LvK: Dow rips a page from her partner Gemma's playbook and drops Layne with a TEXTBOOK Backstabber!

RP: Ya know, I'd complain about you not calling that move a lungblower, but Backstabber is a really cool name.

LvK: Somehow, Rick, I don't think Emily Layne appreciates it fully!

Layne lets out a sweet cry of pain as she rebounds off my folded legs, snapping up and toppling to the mat.  I roll over and push a hand to her hip and another to her shoulder, rolling her onto her side as I force myself upright and then drop down, snapping my right knee into the small of her back to agonize her and keep her floored a little more.

I sag back as she writhes like a landed fish, taking deep breaths.  I can taste blood and sweat, and that special hot scent of bruised flesh.  I snap my punkytails back, glaring out around the howling crowd, and grin a little.  I fucking love this.

I lace my hands into that dark hair and yank Em up good and hard, giving her another friendly knee in the center of the back to keep her agonized. I hook her right arm behind my neck and cinch her head down tight, getting a big handful of her little black shorts in my right hand and showing off her assets before I snarl and HAUL her upright, holding her up in the air in a straight vertical lift before I take a step forward and drop down heavily to one knee, TWISTING Emily forward as I bring her down in front of me to drop her into a fucking vertical suplex backbreaker, breaking her in half over my tattooed thigh!

"Save your screams up, sweet-tits," I pant, licking blood from my lips as I drag the aching girl up to her feet.  "You're gonna need 'em."

I twist Emily to face me and she defiantly cracks a forearm across my jaw, popping the crowd, but as she staggers after me to follow up she clutches her back, hissing in pain and almost sinking to a knee, and I'm right there to meet her, burying a knee into her belly. She doubles up and I bend over and wrap my inked arms around her waist. I take a deep breath, punkytails hanging forward, and bend my knees low, my biceps straining and my aching body trying to organize protests as I haul Layne up and HANG her back over my right shoulder with my fists locked over her battered belly!

"RRRRAHHHHH!"

LvK: THE DOLLBREAKER!  PUNKY LOCKS IN THE DOLLBREAKER!

RP: That's GOTTA be it!

I stagger under her weight as Emily restrains her screams, clutching at her own head in pain and wailing out as the agony overloads her worn-down resistance.  I snap my arms down, putting more breaking pressure across her aching back. I can feel her spine starting to give, hanging her even deeper. Her head hangs past my chest, her legs dangling down my back.

"I'm gonna fuckin' DEMOLISH you," I snarl, panting.  My legs tremble a moment with the effort of keeping up her weight after the grueling brawl -

- and she's still fighting. She twists, kicking her feet, crying out in pain but still fighting like a trapped animal.  I snarl, struggling to keep her up. I know if I can just keep her locked in that I can make her give - no one can resist gravity trying to break your fucking spine in half for long - but my grip wasn't perfect, she's still fighting like a caged animal, and while I just played a hellish xylophone solo on her back I didn't soften it up enough to snap.

Eventually she slides down my back, escaping the hold to an absolute ROAR from the crowd. They are on their god-damn feet, the filthy unwashed masses, howling incoherently as the two of us come within seconds of breaking each other, defeating each other.

Em staggers, clutching at her back, and stumbles around to face me.

And I take her fucking head off.

*CRACK*

LvK: SWEET SAINT FRANCIS!

RP: Punky just friggin' DECAPITATED Layne with a superkick!

LvK: Shades of the absolute knockout blow the Priestess of Chaos landed at First Strike!  Punky falls across Layne and rolls into the pin, and folks, that MIGHT be it.

RP: Gotta be. Layne's a friggin' VEGETABLE after that shot!

"ONE!"

I lie on my back across Em's pillowy chest, top of my head on the mat and my toes on point in my Doc Martens, my arms looped behind her knee to hook her inside leg.

"TWO!"

That's GOTTA be it. I caught her so clean with that superkick that she's lucky she has any teeth left.

"TH-NO!  TWO COUNT!"

The old bastard miss a beat, throwing up two fingers as Layne twists under me and throws her shoulder up, shooting her fist in the air past my hip.  I can hear the air rush over the crowd in a indrawn gasp of disbelief.  They bought into that damn pinfall as much as I did.  I sit up off Em, sprawled on the mat, my elbows propped on my bent knees, thumping my taped bloodied fists into my purple head.

I had her.

I fucking HAD her.

[Emily Layne]

 
RP: how could that happen? She was out cold!

LVK: Layne is showing a unbelievable will and resilience! She has a objective, and she wants to bring it home!

RP: But she was out! We need to check her! A blood alcohol test! An antidoping test! A colonscopy! Whatever!

LVK: A colonscopy?

RP: its the first word that got in my mind!

LVK: The human body is such a weird machine at time!

I am still down on my back, shoulders down and legs opened, a cut on my lower lip caused by the last superkick adds even more blood on my already busted open face.
Punky is furious, well furious isn't the word that matching her feelings right now, she is MORE than furious.
I feel her fingers twisting my hair as she roughly tugs me up and sneaks behind me.
 
"You're f*beep*ed Layne!"
 
RP: Layne is f*beep*ed!

LVK: Perle! The TV deal!

RP: I was just quoting!


She lifts my right arm and places it around her neck, over her shoulders, her arm hooks my right leg up as she is setting her Mindfuck!
 
LVK: JESUS CHRIST! I think we are ready to see the MINDFUCK!

RP: That's right Van Keel! Look at this! Bow to the style! Bow to the technical! This is real wrestling! This is The Countdown! This is...

LVK: Layne escapes the hold with some nasty elbows hammered at Punky exposed belly!

RP: what the *beep*?

While Perle is celebrating my rival finisher attempt, I am able to shake my right arm free and drive my elbow back once, twice, three times, forcing Meg to release my leg and stumble back holding her toned and now sore navel!

She might hurt my body, but I bet that now she is suffering too!

I shake my head, and now moving thanks to inertia and adrenaline building inside me.
My right hand catches Punky wrist before I shift on my feet and sling her body to the opposite ropes!

My mind says to take a couple of breathe, recovering strength and freshness, for a short second,but still it can be a second!

F*beep* my mind!

I launch myself behind Megan body and run in the same direction.
When her tattooed body hits the ropes with her rear side I jump off the mat and spread my right arm wide opened for a devastating running clothesline!
 
LVK :HOLY *BEEP*

Megan s body flip back over the top rope, sagging on it for a quick instant before awkwardky falls directly against the concrete floor of the ring area followed by a loud gasp from the audience!

The impact between my arm and her upperchest makes me hardly stagger back, I almost fall down on my ass but I regain balance, I end with one knee on the mat, panting and gasping.
I pass my right forearm across my forehead, wiping some blood off of my face, I look down at my wrist and lick some of my own blood.

My eyes close for a moment while the ref starts to count my rival out.
I completely ignore him and roll under the bottom rope and walk straight to my prey who is stirring up on her hands and knees.

Everyone is waiting for this scene: me grabbing her by her head or hair and roll her body inside the ring to cut my finisher and go for the One-Two-Three pin which will bring the arena to ecstasy.

But not, I have other plans in mind!
This bitch wants war, this bitch wants more and more..and she will get more!


"YOU" BAMMM

 
"STAY" BAMMM

 
"THE" BAMMM

 
"F*beep*" BAMMM

 
"DOWN" BAMMM

I punctuate each of my word with brutal stomps, one for each word I spell!
Five stomps landing on Punky strong toned body.
The first flatten her down, the others hitting her back, ribs and neck in some really brutal action.

The crowd is shocked, they never expected something like this!
They reacted with a loud roar to the first stomp,but the noise got not that loud to the other ones

RP: I think I'm starting to like this Layne girl, still she is playing with fire, and she will get burn herself sooner or later!

LVK: she is showing a side we never saw before for sure! I'm now thinking on what happened at First Strike when she left Rowan alone! Id like to investigate on that!

RP:Good luck Sherlock!


Punky s body prettily contort, tryin to move away from my stomps but I grab her by the hair and skirt and roughly throw her toward the steel stairs that bring to the apron ring.
Meg is too dazed to avoid the impact and her shoulder clangs against the metal steps, the steel build clashes and strides against the concrete behind the impact with Megan shoulder and another gasp coming from the guys in the audience.

The ref is shocked too!
He started to count but got slow, surprised by my brutal attitude of the moment.

I lean down and get hold of Punky purple hair and skirt, to roll her now weakened body under the bottom rope and take some good breathe before rolling between the ropes too,breaking Gerry count and get on my feet.
Punky body is sprawled down, her legs opened and I step to her, bending down to lift her up.

Suddenly, I feel her arm hooking on my right leg, her other arm laced around my head as she uses the momentum to roll me down,with my shoulders flat on the mat,her arm hooking my right leg, her leg hooking my left leg in a small package pin attempt.

RP: and there goes the pin! This can be the end!

LVK: but Emily Layne reverses before the ref starts the count!

RP: Oh no!

The ref takes a second more before dropping on his knees and I wriggle, my arm hooks Megan leg and I roll her with her shoulders flat, reversing the small package pin!

ONE

TWO

T...TWO!

AWWWWWWWWWWW

The crowd gasps in disbelief as the ref shows only two fingers up, this one was really close!
 
LVK: This is a epic match Perle! The outcome is still opened to any option! Both women are using extra effort to kick out and stay in the match!

RP: I have a date with a cute blonde for a morning running tomorrow! Lets hope it will end soon! What time is it now?

LVK: *looks down at his wrist* you may need to postpone Perle!

RP: S*beep*

[ThePurpleVixen]

Hot fucking damn, that was close.

I only managed to buck out of that because Em had an imperfect lock after rolling the small package over, and because I've spent a lot of my career kicking out of desperate roll-ups.  You get a reputation for crippling people in the ring and you'd be amazed how much people try to get out of the ring as quickly and painlessly as possible.

I lay under the lights and with a hiss through my teeth I roll over a few times to get myself to the apron, where I can dangle my aching shoulder and open and close my taped fist a few times, enjoying the relative cool of the canvas over here. 

Layne dug herself up a mean streak somewhere.  That was one of the most vigorous stompings I've taken.  My ribs certainly don't appreciate her newfound sense of rage, but I do.

I love it when people give in to chaos.

I play dead on the apron - and it's not much of a stretch - laying on my back with my arm dangling and my leg drawn up, my punkytails sprawled out, taking slow deep breaths and tasting blood and sweat.

LvK: Folks, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be able to keep this broadcast going, but these two young women have given their absolute all here tonight, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

RP: Punky says she don't care about the gold, but I gotta say that if she's doin' all THIS just for the hell of it, then that vixen's gotta lotta moxie.

LvK: There's definitely a lot of pride on the line, Rick, but it goes deeper than the first FTW championship.  Emily Layne is fighting out of the shadow she's been under since the Countdown first arrived, and Meg Dow now has to prove she can stand without the Countdown at her back.

Layne eventually regains her feet. I can hear her anger in every breath, snarling, looking for me.  She comes over and reaches over the ropes, getting another handful of purple hair, making me hiss in pain as she drags me upright.

"All right, *BEEP*, I'm gonna *BEEP* you u-UUGGH!"  While I was very interested in what she had to say, I have to cut her off, grabbing her shoulders above the top rope as I come to my boots and driving my knee in deep below her navel, folding her up.  Referee Gerry Valiant tries for a look at what we're doing but has to settle for just applying a ring-out count.

"No, miele, I insist ..." I purr, twisting my body against her, my right arm coming up to wrap around Emily's jaw, lacing my fingers in her dark hair as I pull her head tight against my right shoulder. Facing the audience now as I stand on the apron with Em's head locked against my shoulder, her bloody face held prettily for the camera, I blow a dark teasing kiss. "... *BEEP* you."

I kick both legs out, my left hand snaking over to clutch her head along with my right, dragging her half over the ropes and CRUSHING her jaw against my shoulder as her neck SNAPS against the tensed steel cable!  I land on the apron as the audience GASPS, Layne snapping against the rope and FLYING back to land with a graceless thud, her legs splayed out and her arm sprawled, her head lolling from the brutal Hotshot Stunner!

I purr pleasurably, slithering around to slide between the middle and bottom ropes, crawling on all fours into the ring and looking at the beautiful tough furious girl who is, for a crucial moment, helpless.

I sinuously come up to my boots, my dark eyes locked on her.

Now to fucking finish this.

[Rowan Chance]

The crackle, hum and sizzle of a mic coming to life.

A voice over the loud speaker.

"Little Megan," the voice says on the mic. Sweet, darling, precious Megan."

Punky looks up, her eyes flashing recognition under sweaty purple punky tails.

"If you're looking for me," the voice says, Sweet, darling, precious Megan... I'm here. In Section Seven."

She looks up... And a masked woman stands there, hair over her eyes. Her body covered by a tight, black body suit.

"I'm ready for you... Are you ready for me?"

[Emily Layne]

 lay down, arms and legs wide opened, eagle spread after the huge stunner into the top rope.

I think that they couldn't find a better name for that move!
It almost decapitated my head off!
The crowd is totally focused on the action, holding their breathe to see what can happen.
They now think I can kick out any moves, I kicked out that killer superkick and that brutal exploder suplex into the turnbuckle.
Though, I won't survive a second doll breaker and a mindfuck would know me out cold giving me no way to kick it out!

Megan holds me by the hair,about to yank me up when suddenly the creepy voice fills the arena.
Everything gets silent there, no one is talkin anymore, it seems that no one is breathing anymore, no buzz,no voices,no noises,nothing of nothing.

LVK: It looks like we have visit between the crowd!

RP: its..its..her?

My hair got released and Megan is freakening around the ring, lookin for the Seven Section of the audience.

When I get up Punky is giving my back, I may sound redundant but I already said that.
Don't give the back to the new Emily!

I stagger forward, Punky eyes are still lookin for Rowan when I bend on my knees down, one arm between Megan legs, hooking on her left one and straighten up to lift her over my shoulders in a backbreaker rack, setting up for my Made in Heaven.

LVK: Layne took advantage on the shocking moment we just had in the arena and lifts Punky up across her shoulders ready for Made In Heaven!

RP: OH NO!

LVK: OH YEAH!

But in these conditions its not easy to set up my finisher, my legs are hardly keeping me up and Megan starts to wriggle, her leg gets free and her arm push on my face, before rolling off of me, not giving me chance to perform the big impact move!

Punky eyes are lookin in the audience, she lands neat on her feet, behind me on my left side, her arm locks mine over her shoulders while her other hand hooks my left leg and lifts it up.

RP: And now its Punky setting her Mindf*beep*k! Layne is done!

LVK: OH NO!

RP: OH YEAH!

But also Meg is exhausted after this neverending match.
When she bulges her muscles and put effort to lift me up, she doesn't realize that my arm is shaking free and I take advantage on the momentum, my hand gripping on her shoulder and I push hard to give me some extra leverage to backflip over her head and jump behind her, escaping from the unforgiving impact move!

The ref is shocked, he doesn't realize what is happening,and so is the crowd, they emit loud roars in reaction to anything that happen in the ring!

I wrap my arms around Punky waist and suddenly plant my feet down on the mat before yank, lifting her body and rolling it back with me, planting her shoulders down,with her legs folded over her upperbody and my legs over her legs!

LVK: Look at this Perle!

To add more leverage I backbend in a bridge, planting my hands on the mat and pinning her down in a prawn roll ( the delfin special)
I can feel Punky tryin to wriggle under me but the pin is solid.

RP: where did she learn this???

ONE

TWO

THREE!!!

The crowd explodes in a tremendous and deafening roar!

LVK : ITS THREE! ITS OVER! ITS OVER! LAYNE GOT THE VICTORY OVER PUNKY! For the first time in the FTW, a countdowners suffers a defeat!

RP: Suffer...take a look at Layne face Van Keel and tell me who's suffering!

I roll to the side, the bell rings three times, the ref is still tryin to realize what happened in the last few moments of the match.

CG : And here is your winner, by pin fall, Emilyyyyyy Layneeeeeeeee!

I get on my knees, sitting on my heels as I raise one arm up after this incredible win in this incredible match!
But I feel that this isn't over, The Countdown won't be happy.
I know they are coming down, I need to get ready.
I start to get up and close my fists in tight balls in anticipation, tryin to re group.
The whole arena still roaring and cheering loudly.

[ThePurpleVixen]

He counted three.

Undeniably three.

The sheep are on their feet, bleating in joy.

It was a Delfin Special, and a good one.  I haven't been in one since I wrestled the actual Super Delfin in Toryumon Mexico back in '07. I have no idea where she picked that little treat up - it's not on her tapes, and backbends and roll-ups aren't her usual motif.  Calli's gonna have questions about that one.

But I don't.

I just have one fucking question.

WHERE THE FUCK IS ROWAN CHANCE?

LvK: Folks, this is one for the books - Emily Layne seized the moment at the end of a brutal back-and-forth brawl and escaped coming dangerous close to being caught in Punky's ... leg hook backdrop driver.

RP: The Mind*BEEP*.

LvK: Thank you, Rick.

RP: No *BEEP*ing problem.

LvK: ... Layne escaped and then caught Dow with a brilliant rolling reverse prawn hold for the pin.

RP: Yeah, but I dunno. What was that spookshow up in the cheap seats?

LvK: I think you know as well as I do, Rick.  And it's pretty clear Megan Dow knows, too.

RP: I'll tell you what I know - Emily Layne's a bloody mess and she's got nothin' left in the tank.  She might have her fists up, but she's got trouble comin'.

I hear the keytar strains play, and the crowd's elation immediately turns to outrage and frustration.  They've seen a hero elevated over the Countdown for the first time and now they're going to see her get beaten down like all the rest.

Calli, Red and Gemma come down the aisle, moving at a confident pace.  The referee, his authority exhausted, wisely gets out of town.  Emily's muttering threats to herself, standing her ground, fearless.

I'm just sitting on the mat, staring out into the faceless crowd.

The Countdown forms up at the head of the aisle -

- and I vault over the top rope, landing heavily on my Docs, pelting right past my surprised buddies and then jumping to the top of the steel railing and over, into the crowd.  There are screams and yells and excitement as I shove every motherfucker out of my way, scattering popcorn and spilling overpriced beers, clambering up the stairs in heavy pounding steps, blood and sweat still shining on me, smelling like bruises and canvas and combat, a thing of brute reality shoving my way into everyone's little worlds.

Rowan fucking Chance.

You don't know what you just started, itsy-bitsy spider.

No fucking idea.

RP: *Vin Scully voice* And sheeeeee iiiiiiis OUTTA HERE!

LvK: Punky just ... VAULTING into the audience and now tearing through the crowd in pursuit of that masked woman.

RP: Rowan Chance.

LvK: I'm not sure she goes by that name anymore, Rick. But while the Countdown looks after their erstwhile team-mate, Emily Layne is letting discretion be the better part of valor, and SHE is disappearing into the crowd on the other side of the ring!

RP: Looks like Callista showed up too late to the party for once.  Nobody home but her.  Not even a ref for her to take out!

LvK: ... quieter, Rick.  Don't draw her attention.

[Callista]

*minutes earlier, in the Countdown locker room*

Gemma and Red are cheering as Emily's jaw crashes into Megan's shoulder. I'm watching, but analytically, keeping an eye on reaction times and the effects of the onset of fatigue as the match progresses. I'd like to say I'm controlling my reactions, but I can't help rolling my eyes when Megan starts crawling around the ring. If she weren't such a goddamned lunatic, I'd probably have to settle for being the Arn of our particular group.

She finally appears to be getting around to finishing the bloody match, when a voice echoes faintly from the arena's PA system before coming out of the television's speakers. Chance. My jaw clenches a bit, and suddenly I know exactly what's going to...yep, Megan has been thoroughly distracted. Emily goes on the attack, Meg counters, but Emily counters that, and slips out of the finisher. "Get to Gorilla," I say, and the three of us all break for the entrance before the bell has even rung.

I give a wave to the sound guy as we approach, saying to the duo, "Measured pace. We can run if she does. Remember, put her down, not out. I don't want to give the commish an excuse to put someone else in her place."

"Yeah, yeah. We get it, already," Gemma says irritatedly.

Our music hits, and I push through the curtain, striding confidently down the ramp, Gemma and Red behind me. We get down to the end of the aisle. I'm about to direct traffic when suddenly I'm distracted by a flash of purple. "What the f-" I start as Megan LEAPS over the top rope, shoving between me and Gemma and running back up the aisle before jumping the fence and barreling through the crowd.

'God*BEEP*ing damn it,' I think as Megan runs off in the wrong bloody direction. 'Unreliable little...' I look back to the ring, and it seems the Emily has for once decided not to stick around and wait for us.

I am...nonplussed.

"Guess the drinks aren't on you after all," Gemma says flippantly. I just look at her. After a moment of matching stares, she squirms and breaks eye contact to go jaw with a fan.

[Callista]