Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling

  CCW Chaos, episode #1: Dark Reckoning

  In the arena…

  There’s a little extra on the pyro and music as the crowd buzzes and cheers before the first match even starts. This is going to be a big one.

  Wink McLean, his tuxedo freshly pressed, his hair freshly oiled, is in the ring, microphone in hand.

  MCLEAN: “Hello again everyone and welcome to this special night of CCW action. Tonight, all three championships will be decided, including the vacant Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling Championship, the richest prize in our company. Former champion The Iron Maiden will square off with All-American Amy Steel, BRICKHOUSE, and Betty Magnum in a Four-Way Elimination Match.

  “Also on the card, tag-team champions The Coal Miner’s Daughters will defend their titles against The Russian Farmhands, and Sizzlin’ Scarlett Jackson will lead a team against the group that has wrought chaos and terror in CCW these last several weeks, The Pack.

  “It’s going to be an amazing night of action and intrigue. Let’s send it over to our ring announcer, Jimmy Swift, for our opening championship contest.”

  At ringside, skinny, bow-tied Swift clears his pipes and blows.

  SWIFT: “The following contest is scheduled for the one fall, and it is for the Tri-County…Championship!”

  The Tale of the Tape

  Hannah Hammer is a star with an undefeated 6-0 record. She is 23, 5’7”, 160lbs, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She wrestles in short denim overalls, a yellow tee, and brown work boots. Anna Konda, the current Tri-County Champion, enters this match at 15-1. She is 32, 5’7”, 138lbs, with golden brown hair and light brown eyes. She wrestles in a snake-print bodysuit and ballet flats laced up her calves.

  Hannah enters first, her usual friendly demeanor in place, but balanced with a determination we haven’t seen before. She doles out some handshakes to fans along the aisle, but her focus remains in the ring.

  Konda is out next. This is her first title defense since she defeated Betty Magnum for the belt more than two months ago. The beautiful Brazilian holds the title aloft as she swishes down the aisle. Once in the ring, Konda hands the belt to referee Randy Hickman and slowly removes her ornate robe, revealing her snake-print body suit and ballet flats tied up past her calves.

  The referee calls for the bell.

  Tri-County Championship Match

  Anna Konda [c] vs. Hannah Hammer

  This is as sharp a clash of styles as CCW can offer. Hammer, once described as like trying to wrestle a closed refrigerator, is an almost pure counter-wrestler, with enough power to put anyone away with a few big moves. Konda, with her lithe body and steel-cable limbs, is a submission assassin and keen sadist. Like Hammer, Konda is comfortable letting her opponents come to her.

  Which is why, for the first five minutes, nothing much happens. Konda searches for a submission opening while Hannah waits for the Brazilian to get to close and make a mistake.

  But it’s Hannah who makes the mistake. At the 5:32 mark, she swipes at Konda, thinking the champion is close enough to snatch up, but Konda uses her whole body to wrap Hannah’s arm up and take her over onto her back for a cross-arm breaker.

  The referee checks in with Hannah as Konda wrenches her arm backward but, before Hannah can answer, Konda rearranges things into a short-arm scissors and drives a series of forearms down into Hammer’s chest.

  Hannah, keeping her left shoulder off the mat, rolls into Konda, gets her feet under her, and lifts the Brazilian off the mat with the arm scissors still in place.

  Knowing she’s about to be slammed back to the canvas, Konda releases the hold, hits the mat in a three-point stance, and spears Hammer in the hip.

  Hannah spins to the mat with a sharp cry. It’s not the power of Konda’s spear, it’s the precision. Hannah rolls to her side, clutching her hip.

  Konda seizes the leg attached to that hip and locks in a knee bar.

  Screaming for the first time in a CCW ring, Hannah slaps and claws at Konda, trying to dislodge her, but the Brazilian holds fast and torques the challenger’s knee hard the wrong way.

  Desperate, Hannah pushes off the mat with both hands, lunges, and grabs the bottom rope.

  Referee Hickman gets to four in the DQ count before Konda turns Hannah’s leg loose.

  Moaning and panting in equal measure, Hannah uses the ropes to pull herself to her feet. She turns to face Konda and collapses back to the canvas with another sharp cry. Hammer rolls to her side, clutching at her knee and hip with both hands.

  Konda pounces, sliding in behind Hannah on the mat and locking on her signature finisher, the sleeper hold. Konda wraps her legs around Hammer for good measure, digging her heel into the bigger girl’s injured hip.

  With pain lancing from her hip and the world starting to get all warm and dark, Hannah tries to handle both problems at once, one hand grabbing at Konda’s arm around her neck, the other trying to remove the heel carving into her hip.

  Mistake.

  Neither effort is remotely good enough and Hannah fades quickly, both hands slipping from their tasks. The bigger girl’s eyelids droop, then flutter, then close, her hands palms-up on the mat. The referee checks Hammer’s big, brawny arm once…twice…and calls for the bell at 8:23 when it drops the third time.

  The winner and still Tri-County Champion is Anna Konda. She improves to 16-1. Hannah Hammer suffers her first CCW loss, falling to 6-1.

  Anna Konda releases Hannah, letting her flop out onto the canvas — defeated and asleep — then soaks up her mixed reaction from the crowd, insisting the referee replace the Tri-County belt around her curvy waist.

  In the underneath locker room…

  Sizzlin’ Scarlett Jackson peers into the room over Melora O’Brien’s shoulder and grimaces.

  SCARLETT: “Goddamn, this’s where they got y’all dressin’? (she moves into the room) This place is busted all the way down.”

  Melora closes the door and rejoins a conversation with Chloe Suzuki and The Mulray Sisters in a dim corner of the dingy locker room.

  In a better-lit area near the small, cracked monitor, Cassie Rae — standing with Sunny Austin and Tiffany Green — gives Scarlett a shrug and half a smile.

  CASSIE: “We’re all about that underneath-girl life in here, Scarlett. What can I say? All part of the struggle.”

  Every wrestler in the room is in her ring gear — even the ones who aren’t on tonight’s card — so Cassie and Chloe are barefoot on the cold concrete. So is Sunny, but that’s just her. No one in CCW has ever seen Sunny in anything but her signature orange-and-white bikini.

  Cassie and Scarlett shake hands. Scarlett turns to Tiffany.

  SCARLETT: “What’s up, sister? I know I’m looking forward to taggin’ with you tonight.”

  They shake with a little shoulder bump added.

  TIFFANY: “The pleasure’s gonna by mine. All of ours.”

  Scarlett turns to Sunny, big smiles on both their faces.

  SCARLETT: “Now this is my girl right here. (she and Sunny hug. Scarlett slides an arm around Sunny’s waist and, pointing to her, looks at Cassie and Tiffany) This skinny bitch right here took me to my limit last week. (she pats Sunny’s flat, toned stomach) I told her and I’ll tell y’all; best match of my career.”

  Sunny, blushing, moves to Cassie’s side. They hold hands behind the small of Sunny’s back.

  Scarlett, serious, clasps her hands in front of her chest.

  SCARLETT: “Anyway, I came down here to strategize. I don’t want these Pack bitches to have any chance to win tonight. I don’t care what y’all’s records are: I know this girl can hit, I know this girl can wrestle, and, Cassie, I know you’re the smartest girl in either locker room, baby. (she smiles) So, let’s talk.”

  In the arena…

  Teresa Salazar is already in the ring, looking sexy. Her demeanor is all business — she’s calm, determined — but her hand wanders to the little lower swell of her belly, which is still sore after a thunderous kick from All-American Amy Steel last week led to a quick, humbling defeat for Teresa.

  The Tale of the Tape

  Teresa Salazar is and underneath girl with an 0-2 record. She is 44, 5’8”, 135lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. She wrestles in a backless, blood-red singlet, cut high over her hips, black knee pads, and black boots with a blood-red flame pattern embroidered in them. Outlaw Annie Hook is a star, currently 8-1. She is 35, 5’7”, 150lbs, with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. She wrestles in a black singlet, black knee pads, and cowboy-style boots with red highlights. She also wears a black cowboy hat and black leather vest as entrance gear.

  Jimmy Swift introduces Hook, who comes to the ring without her infamous branding iron. For weeks, The Outlaw used dark-red ink on the end of the iron to brand her initials into the flesh of her defeated opponents, calling them her Herd. But that all came crashing down two weeks ago, when Hook lost in a huge upset to winless underneath girl Chloe Suzuki, who then changed the meaning of the brand’s letters to Okinawans Are Hot.

  So, coming into this match, The Outlaw is furious. She tosses her black cowboy hat and black leather vest into her corner, then stares across at Salazar, who holds her gaze.

  Referee Clark Sierra calls for the bell.

  Outlaw Annie Hook vs. Teresa Salazar

  Outlaw charges across the ring, looking to bully Teresa, but Salazar sidesteps her and lays her boots into The Outlaw’s midsection in the corner. She looks to whip Hook into the opposite corner, The Outlaw reverses, but Teresa stops her momentum with a boot on the middle turnbuckle and catches Hook coming in with another boot to the gut, doubling her up.

  Seizing the opportunity, Teresa dives over Hook’s back and rolls her up with a sunset flip. The referee is in position.

  1…

  2…

  Bellowing her rage, Hook powers out.

  Undeterred, Teresa beats the Outlaw to her feet and rakes Hook’s eyes. The Outlaw staggers back, and Teresa blasts her into the corner with a textbook dropkick.

  Teresa moves in, drives a few more kicks into Hook’s stomach, than pulls The Outlaw out of the corner.

  Hook rakes Salazar’s face and drops her with a hard chop across the chest. The Outlaw drops to her knees and throttles Teresa on the mat with both hands.

  Teresa’s boots beat the canvas as the referee counts toward the DQ. The Outlaw breaks on four, then goes right back to the choke. She breaks on four again. Then goes right back to it.

  Teresa is left gasping after Hook releases her blatant choke for the third time. She tries to roll to her side, but The Outlaw pushes her back flat and drops a hard elbow to Teresa’s belly.

  Salazar jackknifes into the fetal position; arms wrapped around her freshly burning middle. The Outlaw jaws at the crowd, then winds her fingers into Teresa’s wild, curly, chin-length hair and pulls her to her feet.

  Teresa goes for a thumb to the eye, but Hook slaps her hand away and levels Salazar with a discus lariat that flattens her out, spread-eagle.

  The Outlaw drops back to her knees and presses her palms to Teresa’s face and stomach. The latter drives an anguished cry from Salazar as referee Clark Sierra slides into position.

  1…

  2…

  With a sharp yelp of protest, Teresa uses her hips to force her shoulder up.

  Snarling, Hook yanks Teresa to her feet by the hair, doubles her over with another hard kick to the belly, and buries Salazar’s head in the mat with her finishing DDT.

  Her abs pounded into hamburger for the second week in a row, Teresa offers nothing but defeated moans as Hook shoves her over onto her back with a boot, then plants that boot on Salazar’s lower-belly swell for the dominant 1-2-3 at 3:32.

  Outlaw Annie Hook wins the match and improves to 9-1. Teresa Salazar drops to 0-3.

  Hook rolls the helpless, exhausted Teresa onto her stomach and runs her hands over Salazar’s exposed back. She gets back to her feet, avoids the referee, and slides out to the concrete floor. The referee sees to Teresa while The Outlaw pulls something from under the ring and climbs back in.

  She’s holding a cat o’nine tails.

  Referee Sierra is immediately in Hook’s face, warning her away, but, with a sneer, she shoves him aside and stalks toward the prone Teresa, running the whip’s tails through her hand…

  The crowd swells as Chloe Suzuki, an Okinawans Are Hot tee-shirt over her ring gear, flies down the aisle. She dashes from the floor to the top rope in an instant and soars, catching Hook flush in the face with both feet of a missile dropkick.

  The Outlaw staggers back to the corner as Chloe, with some effort, rolls the bigger Teresa Salazar under the bottom rope to the apron, where referee Sierra takes custody of her.

  Fired up, Chloe turns around just in time to catch Hook’s boot in her belly. The Outlaw DDTs Chloe into oblivion, rips the tee-shirt off over Suzuki’s head, and retrieves the whip.

  With Chloe defenseless on her stomach, arms at her sides, The Outlaw moves the prone girl’s long, black hair up away from her back. Smiling, Hook slides her hand down Chloe’s bare skin…

  With the bloodthirsty element of the crowd cheering and everyone else looking away, Hook arcs the cat o’nine tails over her head and whips Chloe across the back.

  Chloe’s scream fills the arena as she spasms and writhes on the mat.

  With Sierra waving them in, the CCW corps of referees storms the ring, with Deputy Commissioner Jules Moreno, her heels skittering across the concrete, close behind.

  The referees surround Chloe, who’s crying, a horrible red welt across her back. Referee Jessie Motley gets in Hook’s face, but The Outlaw just laughs at her.

  As Moreno gets into the ring, Hook barrels through the wall of referees and raises the whip high over the crying, shivering Chloe again.

  MORENO: “Don’t you do it, Annie. Don’t you do it!”

  The Outlaw smiles at Moreno as the referees surround her. The welt on Chloe’s back is bright red. Hook raises the whip.

  MORENO: “Do not do it, Annie. I am warning you. Drop that whip before-”

  Hook slashes the whip across Chloe’s bare side. Suzuki’s scream is bloodcurdling as she jerks into the fetal position, knees and little bare feet together, toes curled.

  Hook, laughing, drops the whip. Referee Motley kicks it away as Moreno, mic in hand, gets up in The Outlaw’s face.

  MORENO: “You are suspended, madam. Right now! Get of my ring.”

  With one more look at quivering, crying, whipped Chloe, Hook saunters to the ropes and leaves the ring.

  Moreno calls for EMTs as she and referee Motley kneel over Chloe, whose back and side are raw.

  The rest of the referees escort The Outlaw up the aisle. She never stops smiling.

  In the underneath locker room…

  Cassie, Sunny, Tiffany, Melora, and the Mulrays are watching the monitor in horror as EMTs load Chloe, still curled up and crying, onto a gurney outside the ring.

  Cassie steps in front of the monitor and turns to the others.

  CASSIE: “I don’t care what it takes, Annie Hook is going to pay for that. (she glances back at the monitor.) A fucking whip…”

  In the arena…

  Blonde and Brunette, The Pack’s college co-ed lackeys, are already in the ring for the next…match, which, in the worst traditions of Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling’s dark origins, is not a match at all, so much as a fetish skit set in a wrestling ring.

  Even so, Blonde, her beer-and-weed belly pushing out over her black, vinyl bikini bottoms, is upbeat, even a little giggly, as she and her partner wait in their corner.

  Brunette, arms on the top rope, hands gripping them, is far less enthused, perhaps because scrawled in thick black letters across her stomach are the words Us Up. Brunette stares at Blonde’s rounded belly, where the word Tie is written diagonally in the same black letters. She shakes her head, tries to keep her breathing even.

  The Tale of the Tape

  Blonde is 5’5”, 155lbs (and slowly gaining; Gothica likes to feed her), with blonde hair and blue eyes. Brunette is 5’6”, 140lbs, with dyed black hair and green eyes. Both girls, members of The Pack, each with an 0-1 record, wrestle in scant vinyl bikinis and short black boots. Their star opponents are The Cowgirl Sisters. Diamond is 26, 5’5”, 130lbs with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a 6-4 record. Platinum is 24, 5’5”, 130lbs, with blonde hair and green eyes. Her record is 6-3. Both Cowgirls wrestle in pink cropped tank tops, pink bike shorts, pink knee pads, and two-tone pink & white boots.

  Jimmy Swift introduces the Cowgirls and — smiling, satisfied — they make their way down the aisle, ropes held aloft, drawing glee from the old-school CCW crowd.

  Once the bell rings, this Rodeo Queen Challenge ends when the Cowgirls have used their ropes to hogtie their opponents. That’s it. Blonde and Brunette have no ropes and no way to win. They can only try to delay the inevitable.

  Referee Roger Clayton, repulsed, calls for the bell.

  Rodeo Queen Challenge

  The Cowgirl Sisters vs. Blonde & Brunette

  The Cowgirls stalk their opponents, grinning, ropes held out in front of them.

  Brunette tries to keep Blonde between her and the Cowgirls, but the pig-tailed Blonde strides right up to Diamond, giggling, and runs her hands along the rope the Cowgirl’s holding. Blonde coos and makes sex faces.

  Brunette takes one look at the Cowgirls’ eyes and backs up toward her corner.

  The Cowgirls exchange a look, drop their ropes, and drive a double kick to Blonde’s soft belly. “Gaaawwwww,” is all Blonde has time to say before Diamond and Platinum hook her up for a double vertical suplex.

  Blonde lands flat on her back, all the air driven out of her, eyes bulging, mouth a big O.

  The Cowgirls step over the helpless Blonde, and bear down on Brunette, who, making her stand, comes out of the corner throwing the worst slaps, punches, and kicks in wrestling history. She gasses out almost immediately. Getting the nod from her sister, Platinum clotheslines Brunette the mat.

  Although the Cowgirls look wholly unsatisfied, they set about to hogtie Brunette, whose resistance is limited to a few weak screams.

  Still, the old-schoolers in the crowd cheer as the Cowgirls put the finishing touches on trussing up the hopeless Brunette — wrists together behind her back, knees together, ankles together, then ankles and wrists tied together. The result is a small, painful package, and Brunette, weakly struggling, rocking on her belly and hips, whines and cries her humiliation.

  That leaves Blonde, who’s only recovered enough to roll to her side, her stomach spilling just a bit onto the mat.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Rolling their eyes, the Cowgirls roll Blonde onto her belly and, within seconds, have her tightly hogtied and squealing.

  The referee calls for the bell at 2:53.

  It still counts as a match, so Diamond improves to 7-4, Platinum goes to 7-3. Blonde and Brunette both fall to an ignoble 0-2.

  Realizing they’re getting some glory even if their opponents bored them, Diamond plants her boot on the small of Blonde’s bare back, Platinum does the same with the mewling Brunette, and the Cowgirls pose for the crowd with the hogtied Pack lackeys as their trophies.

  In the underneath locker room…

  With Scarlett in the hall, Tiffany, Sunny, and Cassie are headed out to the ring for the next match.

  They all pass Teresa Salazar, who’s sitting on the bench in front of her open locker, still in her gear, arms wrapped around her stomach.

  Cassie grabs Sunny’s wrist.

  CASSIE: “Hey. (she nods at Teresa when Sunny turns) Gimme a second?”

  SUNNY (nods): “OK, babe. We’ll wait for you. (she giggles) Can’t believe we get to make an entrance tonight. Together.”

  CASSIE: “Mmmm, beautiful girl…”

  Cassie and Sunny share a very quick, but very passionate, kiss, and Sunny joins Scarlett and Tiffany in the hall.

  With the door closed, Cassie straddles the bench and sits down next to Teresa.

  CASSIE: “Hey.”

  Teresa doesn’t even turn her head, but it’s clear she’s been crying.

  CASSIE: “How’s your stomach? We saw it was another rough one out there tonight.”

  Teresa spares Cassie a sneering glance, but that’s it.

  Cassie straightens; her hands balled below the waistband of her low-rise jean shorts.

  CASSIE: “Listen, I know you think we’re all losers in here, except for you, and I know you’re here to prove something, which I respect. But you don’t have to prove it alone.”

  Another glance from Teresa, this one less hostile. Cassie starts to get up.

  TERESA: “I don’t even know her.”

  Cassie, with both feet now on the door side of the bench, sits back down.

  CASSIE: “Chloe?”

  TERESA: “Yeah. I’ve never even talked to her and she…(her eyes get glassy) Why did she do that?”

  CASSIE: (smiling, looking down at her toes) “I think because she didn’t want to see you get whipped.”

  TERESA: “I’d rather it was me. (she pivots to face Cassie, who mirrors it) I’ve never felt like this before.”

  CASSIE: “This place has a way of pulling new emotions out of people. Usually unpleasant ones. (she stands up) I have to get out there for my match, but I hope we can talk again. (she starts for the door, then stops and looks Teresa in the eye) You may not want to hear this, but I’m glad you’re with us. I think we could all learn from you. (she crosses to the door) But if you want your privacy, I’ll make sure the other girls respect it.”

  Cassie opens the door.

  TERESA: “Cassie. (she nods when Cassie turns) We can talk again.”

  In the arena…

  The Pack — Pequeno Tigre, Gothica, Jessica Kelly, and Zehra — is already in the ring for the next match, all kind of writhing and rubbing and kissing each other. Some in the crowd love it, most just look elsewhere. Gothica draws the most positive and negative attention from the fans. She snarls at them as Zehra nibbles on Gothica’s bare shoulder and Tigre drags her nails across the high-priestess’s pale little pot belly.

  The Tale of the Tape

  The Pack: Pequeno Tigre enters with an 0-13 record. She is 25, 5’2”, 135lbs with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She wrestles barefoot in a tiger-print bra top and tiger-print harem pants. Her makeup is heavy, exotic, and feline. Also 0-13, Gothica is 22, 5’4”, 135lbs, with dyed black hair and green eyes. She wrestles barefoot in a black string bikini, black choker, and black bands around her wrists and ankles. Jessica Kelly is 23, 5’4”, 125lbs, with dyed black hair and blue eyes. She wrestles in a backless black singlet, black knee pads, and black boots. She is currently 0-7. Zehra is 25, 5’6”, 130lbs, with dark brown hair and green eyes. She wrestles barefoot in a beaded black bra top and black harem pants. She’s 0-4.

  Sizzlin’ Scarlett Jackson is a star with a 6-1 record. She is 26, 5’5”, 130lbs, with dyed bright-orange hair and light-brown eyes. She wrestles in a shiny orange & white bra top, shiny orange booty shorts, shiny white knee pads, and orange basketball sneakers with white highlights. Underneath girl Sunny Austin is 24, 5’11”, 140lbs, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her current record is 1-11. She wrestles barefoot in an orange-and-white bikini. Cassie Rae is an underneath girl with a 2-15 record. She’s 34, 5’3”, and 130lbs, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She wrestles barefoot in a half tee and low-rise cutoff jean shorts. Tiffany Green is 27, 5’7”, 140lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. She wrestles in a green-camo bra top, black athletic leggings with white stripes down the sides, and two-tone black & white boxing shoes. Tiffany is an underneath girl with an 0-5 record.

  Coming down the aisle together to Scarlett’s music, this is the first-ever entrance for underneath girls, who always start their matches Already In The Ring with zero fanfare. Sunny insists on holding Cassie’s hand as they soak up the atmosphere and energy from the crowd. They share a look.

  SUNNY: “I love this.”

  CASSIE: “I love you.”

  Once in the ring, Scarlett and — with Cassie’s encouragement — Sunny climb to the second rope in adjacent corners and get some glory from the crowd. Cassie and Tiffany keep it more businesslike in the team’s corner, but both smile as Sunny comes to the corner teary-eyed, smiling, and blushing.

  Cassie pulls her bikini girl in for a tight hug, her soft, bare stomach snug against Sunny’s slim, toned one.

  CASSIE: “You deserve every bit of this, but now I need you sharp so we can beat these girls.”

  As if Cassie flipped a switch on her back, Sunny snaps serious. She nods, starts to bounce on the balls of her feet.

  Cassie looks to Scarlett.

  CASSIE: “The crew is ready, captain.”

  Smiling, stretching her shoulders, Scarlett shakes her head.

  SCARLETT: “Nah ah. You’re gonna lead this team.”

  Cassie looks from Scarlett to Tiffany, who nods.

  TIFFANY: “Take us there, girl.”

  Cassie looks back at Sunny, who winks and air kisses, a smirk on her face.

  CASSIE: “All right, real quick. (she glances around at all of them) the referee is gonna do her best, but they’re gonna cheat. Watch out for their nails and their teeth…and their lips. (Tiffany and Scarlett exchange an uneasy look) And remember, none of those girls has ever won a match. I don’t think Tigre and Zehra care about that, but Gothica and Jessica definitely do. (she smiles) We can use that against them.”

  SUNNY: “Yeah! (she pumps her fists) Let’s fucking do this!”

  Scarlett high-fives her.

  SCARLETT: “That’s my girl.”

  Tiffany leans in to Cassie.

  TIFFANY: “I’ve never won a match either. You know?”

  Cassie smirks sidelong.

  CASSIE: “You’re gonna win this one.”

  Tiffany backs up, smiling, throwing shadow jabs.

  In the middle of the ring, referee Jessie Motley addresses both corners.

  MOTLEY: “All right, ladies, I know there’s a lot of emotion and anger in here right now, but I want a good match out of all of you.”

  Scarlett looks across the ring and, sure enough, Gothica and Jessica are stretching and hyping each other up while Tigre and Zehra just…posture and pose all sexy on the apron. Scarlett smiles to herself.

  The referee calls for the bell.

  Eight-Woman Tag Team Match

  Sizzlin’ Scarlett Jackson, Sunny Austin, Cassie Rae & Tiffany Green vs. The Pack

  This match is a certain kind of fan’s dream, as Cassie, Sunny, Tigre, Gothica, and Zehra are all wrestling barefoot. Surely a record, even for CCW.

  Tiffany starts the match with Jessica, but that doesn’t last long as the Oakland girl’s quick fists prove too much for the little grappler to solve in the early going. Jessica tags Gothica, Tiffany tags Sunny, and the two most scantily-clad wrestlers in the company go at it with some legit wrestling as that certain sect of the crowd goes nuts. Sunny gains the advantage after two quick arm drags and Gothica bails. Tigre tags in. Cassie tags in.

  Despite the 10-year age difference, Cassie is faster, stronger, and far more skilled than The Pack’s leader. She also avoids Tigre’s nails and teeth, so the Little Tiger flees the scene and tags Zehra. Cassie tags Scarlett.

  As it was when they made their CCW debuts in a singles match against each other, Scarlett handles Zehra easily and gets a two-count on the sensual Turk at 3:45 after a swinging neck-breaker. Gothica screams for a tag and gets it. Scarlett tags Tiffany.

  And this is the way it goes for The Pack. Formed by winless, humiliated underneath girls devoted to depravity, the group proved deadly when causing chaos, ruining matches, and laying down six-on-one beatings. But Cassie was right, no Pack member ever won a match before forming the group and — though Cassie, Sunny, and Tiffany have a total of three career wins between them — the girls (largely) in black are outclassed in this match.

  By the 5:43 mark, The Pack girls are all winded and it’s proving increasingly difficult to find a match-up remotely favorable to the team.

  But then Gothica catches Tiffany being a little cocky and blasts her with a standing dropkick to the chest. The Oakland girl’s back hits the ropes and she staggers straight into an inside cradle that Gothica works perfectly. The referee is in position.

  1…

  2…

  Tiffany, with a guttural grunt, uses her abs and legs to power out.

  Gothica beats Tiffany to her feet, but Tiffany ducks a wild clothesline and puts two hard hooks into the high-priestess’s soft little belly.

  Gasping, Gothica falls backward into her corner and tags Jessica. Tiffany rushes in but, this time, the little grappler is ready. She floors Tiffany with a drop toehold, then drops a series of sharp elbows to the small of her back.

  Jessica pulls the bigger girl back to her feet and, with surprising strength, bodyslams Tiffany near the Pack corner. With the Oakland girl sprawled on the met, Jessica gets to the second rope and drops a knee across Tiffany’s forehead.

  Jessica leans across Tiffany’s chest and hooks her far leg with both hands.

  1…

  CASSIE: “Tiffany, ropes, ropes! Left foot!”

  2…

  The Oakland girl’s left boxing shoe finds the bottom rope and referee Motley stops the count.

  Jessica, seething, pulls Tiffany back up and snap-mares her into her team’s corner. She points at Cassie, goading her to tag.

  She does, and Sunny yells her support as Cassie and Jessica circle. Jessica’s lips curl back, cruel.

  JESSICA: “I’ve wanted this for a long time. You never gave me the attention, the help, you gave other girls.”

  She lunges at Cassie’s legs, but Cassie, up on her toes, dodges.

  CASSIE: “That was never intentional, Jess. I had Tiana. (another dodge) I was trying to help Sunny. (she ducks a clothesline) You could have come to me. (she hops a leg sweep) You still could.”

  Jessica stops. She stands too straight, blinking at Cassie too long, and Cassie drills her with a flying shoulder tackle. Jessica sprawls to the mat.

  Cassie moves into enemy territory, trying to grab Jessica before she can make a tag, and Tigre rakes her nails across Cassie’s lower back.

  Cassie screams, back arched, and falls to her knees.

  Sunny vaults the top rope, then uses it as leverage to tattoo Tigre in the mouth with the top of her foot. Tigre tumbles off the apron, her lip split.

  Things get wild from there, with seven of eight wrestlers in the ring despite the referee’s vain attempt to maintain order.

  Tiffany and Zehra, their limbs entangled, fall through the ropes to the floor.

  Tigre, her bloody mouth screaming, grabs Scarlett’s boot and drags her out of the ring to the concrete.

  It comes down to Gothica and Jessica in the ring with Cassie and Sunny. The Pack tries to double-team Sunny, but she cartwheels out from between them and they crash into each other.

  With both Pack girls dazed, Cassie whips Jessica into the ropes and catches her square in the navel with a spear on the rebound, flattening her out, spread-eagle.

  Meanwhile, Sunny gets hold of Gothica’s ponytail, hair mares her to the mat, then — one bikini girl to another — drops her long, strong leg across Gothica’s chest.

  Jessica, moaning, winded, struggles back to her feet. But Cassie is already perched on the top turnbuckle, feet together. She leaps and gets most of a missile dropkick to Jessica’s chest, sending her crashing back to the mat.

  At the same time, Sunny shoots the tired Gothica hard into the ropes and, in the first attempt of her career, turns the Pack high priestess over in a perfect spinning powerslam, driving Gothica’s back into the canvas and knocking all the wind and fight out of her.

  Cassie lays across Jessica’s chest and hooks her far leg tight. Sunny puts her palms on Gothica’s chest and stomach and bears down, her back arched, forcing a moan of surrender from her fellow barefoot bikini girl.

  Referee Motley, long since abandoning the tag-team format, uses both hands to count both Pack girls down and calls for the bell at 8:24.

  All the CCW girls earn a win, Tiffany’s first. All the Pack girls take yet another loss.

  Sunny springs to her feet as Scarlett and Tiffany regain the ring to join her.

  Cassie releases Jessica’s leg, then wraps her arm around the defeated girl’s head and, her belly flat against the canvas, brings her mouth Jessica’s ear.

  CASSIE: “Come home, Jess. You’re better than this. Leave with us. Please.”

  Jessica’s voice is a croak between heaving breaths.

  JESSICA: “I can’t, Cass…They’ve got me…I can’t…”

  Cassie gets to her knees and looks down at Jessica, who, tears in her eyes, rolls to her side away from Cassie, arms covering her head.

  Tigre and Zehra drag Gothica out under the bottom rope by her ankles.

  Sunny comes over as Cassie gets to her feet. She looks from the fallen Jessica to Cassie, who shakes her head. Sunny pulls Cassie in for tight embrace as Scarlett and Tiffany get their glory on the corners.

  Somewhere backstage…

  Wink McLean, still impeccable, gets the word from The Iron Maiden, who looks none too pleased to be there.

  MCLEAN: “Iron Maiden, we’ve just witnessed four of CCW’s own, three of them underneath girls, defeat The Pack, who have been terrorizing the company for weeks, including interfering in the CCW Championship picture. With your match still to come tonight, are you grateful to see The Pack put out of commission?”

  Maiden fixes him with a real look.

  MAIDEN: “I’m not thinking about The Pack, or anyone else, besides BRICKHOUSE, Betty Magnum, and Amy Steel.”

  MCLEAN: “That’s All-American Amy Steel.”

  Maiden stares a hole through McLean and walks away.

  MCLEAN: “Thanks to The Iron Maiden for those comments. Let’s, uh, go back to the arena and our ring announcer, Jimmy Swift.

  In the arena…

  Jimmy Swift stands center ring, flanked by referee Randy Hickman.

  SWIFT: “The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the tag team championship!”

  The Tale of the Tape

  The Russian Farmhands, a star team, are the challengers here. They are both 3-2. Anya is 28, 5’9”, 160lbs, with dyed dark-red hair and green eyes. She wrestles in a black singlet, red knee pads, and black boots. Olga is 30, 5’10”, 165lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. She wrestles in a dark-red singlet, black knee pads, and dark-red boots. The Coal Miner’s Daughters are the defending tag champs. They have matching 5-1 records. Shannon is 25, 5’8”, 150lbs, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She wrestles in gray denim overalls, a red bra top, and black work boots. Brianna is 23, 5’8”, 150lbs with brown hair and hazel eyes. She wrestles in gray denim overalls, a blue bra top, and black work boots.

  The Russian Farmhands enter first to their ancient dirge of a theme. They are all business in this, their first shot at the tag team titles. Shannon and Brianna wear their belts to the ring as most of the crowd cheers them down the aisle. Shannon still has a bandage on her neck after a slashing attack by Pequeno Tigre of The Pack some weeks ago.

  Once in the ring, the champions hand their belts off to the referee and it’s a four-way stare down until Hickman calls for the bell.

  Tag Team Championship Match

  The Coal Miner’s Daughters [c] vs. The Russian Farmhands

  On paper, this is a closer match than it turns out to be. Both teams are powerful, both teams have the camaraderie and continuity that comes with being sisters, but the champions are much better technical wrestlers than the challengers and that becomes apparent early.

  Still, Anya and Olga, who may have the power advantage, keep things even with frequent tags and a steady diet of straight-ahead, clubbing offense.

  They also target the wound on Shannon’s neck, which, though largely healed, remains a sensitive spot.

  But The Coal Miner’s Daughters know the Russians lost their first CCW match, to Cassie Rae and Sunny Austin of all people, because Cassie realized Anya and Olga are top-heavy and exploited that weakness just enough to win.

  So, at 6:43, when Olga is down on the mat and Anya is standing in front of her, dazed after a Shannon back suplex, Brianna knows if she flies in off the tag with a Coal Miner’s Clothesline, it’ll be more than enough to send Anya reeling to the mat over Olga’s back, shoulders down and legs up.

  And it is.

  Brianna cradles Anya for the pin and gets it at 7:03 as Shannon sends Olga to the floor with a basement dropkick.

  The Coal Miner’s Daughters retain in convincing fashion, each moving to 6-1. They hold the belts up and hugging, Shannon’s bandage still in place. The Russian Farmhands both fall to 3-3.

  In the underneath locker room…

  Tiffany, who got a little teary on the way back up the aisle after her first CCW win, stands in front of her locker, changing out of her gear, talking about beating The Pack with Melora, who straddles the bench, already in her street clothes, which favor her curvy, rounded body in a way her ring gear doesn’t.

  In the corner, Cassie, still in her gear, sits on the little rusty chair, while Sunny — never in anything but her gear — sits on the floor next to her, back against the paint-peeled wall, ankles crossed, toes periodically flexing.

  Sunny has her hand on the inside of Cassie’s thigh, giving it little squeezes as Cassie sits, feet flat, elbows on her thighs. She looks down at Sunny, who blinks up at her, head cocked.

  CASSIE: “She said ‘I can’t.’ Not I won’t. ‘I can’t.’ That’s gonna bother me. A lot.”

  SUNNY: “It bothers me too, but Jessica was super frustrated when The Pack formed. (she strokes the inside of Cassie’s thigh with her thumb) I’m not surprised they got to her.”

  CASSIE: “See? (she slaps her thighs) I didn’t even know that.”

  SUNNY: “Know what?”

  CASSIE: “That Jessica was super frustrated.”

  SUNNY: “Well, I mean…she was losing a lot.”

  CASSIE: “So were you. So was I. That’s like…(she gestures around the room) what happens here. I know Jess knew that.”

  SUNNY: “She did. And she wanted to try to fight out of it, like we are, but…”

  CASSIE: “What?”

  SUNNY: “I think getting branded by Annie Hook, the way she was branded, really affected Jess.”

  CASSIE: “Well, for fuck’s sake, Sun. No one told me. She could have come to me.”

  SUNNY: Babe. (she rearranges herself to kneel in front of Cassie, hands on Cassie’s knees) You can’t be everything to everyone in here always. And listen, I know that’s easy for me to say because you’ve taken such good care of me since the moment I walked in here. But, Cass, you tried tonight with Jessica. That’s what matters. Even though she was our opponent, you tried.”

  Cassie lays her hands on top of Sunny’s.

  CASSIE: “But if I had tried with her before, when she needed me…”

  Sunny sits up on her knees, bringing her eyes even with Cassie’s.

  SUNNY: “Cassie, listen to me. You are the strongest woman, with the most beautiful heart, I’ve ever met. I am in awe of you. That’s why I believe, if you want to bring Jessica home, you will find a way to bring her home. And I will help you do it.”

  Cassie lowers her forehead until it touches Sunny’s. Their hands intertwine on Cassie’s thighs.

  CASSIE: “I really want to kiss you right now.”

  Sunny smiles.

  SUNNY: “So kiss me. Captain.”

  In the arena…

  In the ring, Jimmy Swift is flanked by referee Jack Blake on one side, and two other people on the other.

  SWIFT: “Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, please welcome the esteemed commissioner of CCW, Hollis Hollander, and the deputy commissioner, Jules Moreno.”

  Mixed reactions for both, more negative for the commissioner, more positive for the deputy.

  SWIFT: “They will present this brand-new, $50,000 gold championship belt (he indicates a ringside pedestal) to the winner of tonight’s main event.

  “The following contest is a Four-Way Elimination Match, and it is for the Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling…Championship!”

  The Tale of the Tape

  All four of these women are stars. All-American Amy Steel enters with a record of 10-2. She is 26, 5’8”, 160lbs, with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. She wrestles in a garish, patriotic-themed bra top with matching short shorts, knee pads, and boots. Betty Magnum is 32, 5’7”, 145lbs, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wrestles in a denim-patterned bra top, denim-patterned athletic leggings, and cowboy-style wrestling boots. She is currently 10-3. BRICKHOUSE is 28, 5’9”, 160lbs, with dyed dark-red hair and green eyes. Her record is 14-3. She wrestles in a black, sleeveless bodysuit with a brick pattern down the front and red & black boots. The Iron Maiden is 35, 6’, 175lbs, with dyed silver hair and gray eyes under mushroom cloud contacts. She wrestles in a black & silver, sleeveless, full-length bodysuit, a silver-studded black belt, and chunky two-tone black & silver boots. She’s 8-2.

  This match is happening because Commissioner Hollander’s chicanery in a title match between Steel and then champion Maiden led to the title being held up. Then, last week, a match between BRICKHOUSE and Betty to determine who would be the third participant in a Triple Threat Match for the title was ruined when The Pack beat both of them down with weapons.

  It was the second such beating Betty received from The Pack, and she’s far from 100 percent here, in which two of the four wrestlers can be in the ring at once, and anyone can tag out to anyone. Wrestlers are eliminated from the match by pinfall, submission, disqualification, or count-out. Last woman standing is the CCW Champion.

  Referee Blake calls for the bell.

  Four-Way Elimination Match for the vacant Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling Championship

  All-American Amy Steel vs. Betty Magnum vs. BRICKHOUSE vs. The Iron Maiden

  Steel and Maiden demand to start the match, going right at each other with furious punches and kicks to the delight of crowd. Steel quickly decides she’s not having fun and tags BRICKHOUSE, who, with no hesitation, goes blow-for-blow with Maiden.

  When Maiden switches to technique, it’s just enough to convince BRICKHOUSE she should retreat temporarily. She tags Steel, who’s none too happy about it, back in.

  Maiden is inexhaustible as, for nearly 10 minutes, Steel and BRICKHOUSE take turns absorbing punishment from her. At 10:32, Steel has had enough and catches Betty off guard in the corner with a tag.

  The smallest girl in the match, Betty enters and circles with Maiden, trying to keep her breathing even and slow while the effects of two Pack beatings linger all over her body. Maiden feints a lockup, then tags BRICKHOUSE in with, essentially, a reverse chop.

  Refusing to rub the spot, BRICKHOUSE comes in, staring Maiden down, and eats a Betty dropkick to the face. BRICKHOSE staggers back into the corner, from which Betty whips her hard. BRICKHOSE crashes in the opposite corner but catches Betty coming in for a flying forearm and drives her into the canvas with thunderous spinebuster.

  Betty, back arched, cannot breathe. BRICKHOUSE floats over and lays across Betty’s chest and shoulders. The referee is in position.

  1…

  2…

  “Rrrrruuhh!” Betty kicks out with much of what she’s got left, her body throbbing almost everywhere. She rolls to the ropes and tags the toe of Steel’s boot on her way out under the bottom rope.

  The referee acknowledges the tag and beckons The Star-Spangled Monster into the ring. Annoyed, she steps through the ropes and it’s Steel versus BRICKHOUSE for the first time in the match at 13:32.

  This is another case in which BRICKHOUSE can easily match Steel’s power, but the All-American is vastly superior, technically. Indeed, using her technique and her power, Steel wraps BRICKHOUSE in the rarely seen octopus hold, and it’s all BRICKHOUSE can do to inch Steel to the ropes for a break after almost two minutes. But the hold has taken its toll and, with her power depleted and Steel bearing down, BRICKHOUSE manages a shoulder roll past her and tags Maiden.

  Steel immediately looks to tag out, but there’s no one else on the apron, so she returns her attention to the ring…just in time to get demolished by a Maiden running clothesline.

  Riding a surge from the crowd and from somewhere deep inside, Maiden yanks Steel off the mat, shoves the All-American’s head between her girder thighs, and hoists her up for the Fallout powerbomb.

  Steel screams, “Nooooooo,” all the way down to the mat, after which she says nothing.

  Maiden keeps Steel waist-locked, her shoulders stacked on the canvas, and the referee slides in for the 1-2-3 at 16:43.

  All-American Amy Steel has been eliminated.

  Referee Blake rolls the defeated Steel to the ropes, where ring attendants help her out of the ring and up the aisle.

  While all that was going on, BRICKHOUSE removed the top turnbuckle pad nearest her and threw it into the crowd. Now in the ring, she keeps her body between the exposed steel in the corner and Maiden, whom she goads to charge at her.

  Maiden fakes a charge, then looks over BRICKHOUSE’s shoulder, shaking her head at the exposed turnbuckle.

  Enraged the world’s simplest plan didn’t work, BRICKHOUSE charges Maiden and gets caught with a chunky black boot in her hard abs. It’s enough to double her over though and one Fallout powerbomb onto the exposed turnbuckle later, BRICKHOUSE is breathless on the mat with Maiden holding her shoulders and arms down.

  1…

  2…

  BRICKHOUSE manages a weak kick but it’s nowhere near enough.

  3.

  The referee signals the timekeeper that BRICKHOUSE has been eliminated at 18:01.

  The Iron Maiden is all set to throw her arms up in victory, but Betty Magnum is pulling herself back into the ring. She rolls in under the bottom rope and gets to her feet, ready to fight. Or at least try to.

  Maiden, shaking her head, squares off with Betty and they circle. The crowd gives both women a hand.

  Betty’s feet are slow; she lopes more than bounces. Maiden times the lopes, then uncorks another huge clothesline. But Betty duck under and, with everything she’s got left, takes the much bigger Maiden over with a perfect belly-to-belly suplex, her finisher.

  Both boots flat on the canvas, Betty snares Maiden’s far leg with both arms and leverages her body way back onto Maiden’s chest. Maiden’s arms slide up over her head on the mat. The referee is down.

  1…

  2…

  Maiden powers out, and Betty ends up sitting on the canvas, begging the heavens for something else with which to keep wrestling. Nearly exhausted, Betty pushes back to her feet.

  Then she sees it.

  Maiden, back up, catches Betty with a right hand, then grabs her wrist and whips her toward the corner.

  Betty baseball slides to a stop, but Maiden is already charging in.

  Betty pivots onto her hip and works a drop toehold, sending Maiden’s forehead straight into the steel ring of the exposed turnbuckle.

  Maiden, staggering around like an over-served sailor, her forehead bleeding, walks right into another Betty belly-to-belly.

  Magnum collapses onto the stunned, dazed Maiden, her abs high across Maiden’s chest, and the referee tolls the 1-2-3 at 20:24 to give Betty Magnum the win, and the CCW title.

  The crowd erupts, shaking the rickety arena’s rafters. Jimmy Swift is on his feet at ringside.

  SWIFT: “Here is your winner…and the new Carnival Cavalcade Wrestling Champion…Betty…Magnum!”

  Betty can barely stand up to have her hand raised as Maiden rolls out.

  Betty’s title win moves her to 11-3. The other three women take losses.

  Hollander, Moreno, and Wink McLean make their way into the ring. Moreno and referee Blake applaud, as do Swift and the timekeeper, as Hollander hands the brand-new belt to Betty with all the enthusiasm of someone passing the salt while chewing their food and reading the paper.

  The crowd roars as Betty takes the CCW Championship and, just barely, hoists it up over her head to show the crowd. Moreno helps Betty secure the title around her waist as McLean moves in next to her.

  MCLEAN: “Betty Magnum, you lost the Tri-County Championship to Anna Konda two months ago in another match that involved an exposed turnbuckle. And now you’ve endured contract shenanigans, betrayal, two savage beatings from The Pack, and this grueling elimination match to become the new CCW Champion. How does this moment feel?”

  With Moreno helping to keep her steady on her feet, Betty, exhausted and drenched in sweat, still manages a big smile.

  BETTY: “Wink, I gotta say, this feels amaz-”

  The picture drops to black, then bursts into static, then black again, then resolves into a new image.

  Somewhere dark and wooded…

  All six members of The Pack lay strewn on the ground, some face up, others face down, with Gothica and Blonde lying soft belly-to-soft belly, arms around each other, on their sides. None of them seem conscious, or even alive, but for some stray moans and groans of pain.

  A Figure Cloaked in Black steps into the frame wearing an elaborate, demonic lucha mask. The figure looks around at what’s left of The Pack, then raises an electrolarynx to their throat, making their voice a whining, gravely buzz.

  FIGURE: “They think this is Pack Life? They don’t know Pack…Life. But they will… (the figure pushes the mask up close to the camera) And so will you.”

  Static.

  Fade Out