Debut Match
— Zing. Zzzing. Zzzzing. —
TPA was only a three-minute walk from his house, so Liam — a thirty-year fan by force of geography — erupted the second the guitar riff hit.
"Jane! That's Jane Kim's old theme!"
He'd grown up watching Jane Kim wrestle. There was no way he wouldn't recognize that song. What he couldn't figure out was why they were playing Unstoppable — a theme she'd only used for about two years after her debut — instead of Puppet on a String, the one she'd carried through her entire career.
It was definitely Charina's turn to come out. He'd seen her just last week…
Maybe Jane Kim was cutting a promo? The thought crossed his mind for half a second.
Then Charina rolled out on a skateboard, gliding in wearing black skinny jeans and a red sleeveless top. He had no idea what the gimmick was supposed to be, but that red tank top looked damn good against her pale skin.
"What the fu—… She's real."
"An idol. She's a total idol."
"Jesus. Her skin's whiter than a white girl's."
"She's skinny but her chest and hips are stacked. God, that's hot…"
"I heard Asian girls are amazing in bed."
"And she's supposed to lift Olivia with that body? Bullshit."
"Heh. If Olivia sits on her, she won't even be able to shove her off."
"One hit and her bones are snapping."
Admiration, dirty talk, and worry poured out of the crowd around him. Liam didn't care. Among the thirty-four diehards who'd watched the dark match with him, a handful were already scrambling — hauling out telephoto lenses and tripods, hammering the shutter. Video was banned tonight, but stills were allowed, and they were clearly making up for everything they couldn't shoot last time.
Charina smiled at the cascade of flashbulbs.
"Hhk—"
Liam's breath caught. She'd been beautiful with a blank face. Smiling made her worse. He'd seen her before and still couldn't get used to it.
She was twenty, right? He had a son only three years younger and a fourteen-year-old daughter. What the hell was he doing, staring like this?
Charina reached the ring apron, planted her back against the ropes, and flipped herself over them in one clean motion.
"You get it?"
"Got it."
"Does she look even prettier than last week?"
"You think so too? I was thinking the same thing."
His friends were busy rating her looks like wine critics.
— Ding. Ding. Ding. —
The ring bell sounded and the match began.
The first few minutes played out just like last time. Olivia crushed her with raw power and seized control with strikes. Charina tried a crossbody for a comeback, but Olivia caught her mid-air and drove her ribs straight down onto a raised knee.
"Aaaagh!"
A sharp scream. Last week, Olivia had bounced off the ropes and finished with a splash. Tonight she grabbed Charina by the hair, hauled her up, and spiked her into the mat.
— Thud. —
She hit so hard her body bounced once off the canvas.
"Hnnngh—!"
A low, pained groan this time.
"She's so light she bounces like a ball."
"How hard do you have to throw someone for them to rebound?"
"That one actually looked like it hurt."
"Olivia's destroying her. Keep going."
Olivia yanked Charina up by the midsection and shoved her hard into the corner. The impact was so violent Charina shot clean through the ropes and tumbled to the floor outside.
— Ohhh. —
Five hundred people exhaled the same sound at once. Olivia scanned the crowd and curled one corner of her mouth. Then she crossed the ring toward where Charina had fallen, squeezed between the ropes, and stood on the apron.
"No way…"
"Olivia, don't! You'll kill her!"
"Noooo!"
She looked over the audience one more time — then dropped her full weight onto Charina's body.
"Ah—!"
Charina's short cry was swallowed by the crowd.
"What the… fuck!"
"She's insane."
"Shit!"
"She hasn't even debuted yet!"
Both women were outside the ring. The referee's count rolled on.
— Five. —
— Six. —
Olivia hauled the dazed Charina up and threw her back inside, then started climbing in herself — only for Charina to stagger upright and fire an S-kick straight into Olivia's throat as she was halfway through the ropes, neck still trapped.
"Guh—!"
Charina dragged Olivia fully into the ring by that same neck, hoisted her high, and dropped her.
"Ooooh!"
— Thud. —
A suplex.
— Whoaaa! —
The crowd that had never seen Charina before wouldn't stop roaring. She caught her breath, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and climbed to the top rope. Then she raised both hands high and clapped, calling for the audience to join her.
— Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. —
— Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. —
"It's the Eclipse. You better nail this shot."
"I know, I know."
"Ethan, send me the pictures later."
"Got it, Liam."
Liam heard Ethan's answer and looked back at the ring. The moment Olivia got to her feet, Charina launched. She twisted in midair, snagged Olivia's neck clean, and sat down hard.
— Thud. —
A beat of silence — then the arena exploded.
— Whoa! —
He'd seen it last week and his clenched fists were still slick with sweat.
It was clean last time too, but this is ridiculous. Is she really a rookie? Is she actually twenty?
She looked younger. If he hadn't been told she was twenty, he would have believed seventeen without blinking.
From there the match ran almost identical to the dark match. The only real variation had been the sequence outside the ring. Charina hoisted Olivia onto her shoulders for a Samoan Drop, then hit another suplex. Most of the crowd was locked in — some with their mouths hanging open, others covering them with their hands. He'd probably looked exactly like that last week.
"Olivia's working better than last week."
"Yeah, right? She's not gasping as hard."
"Maybe their chemistry's just that good."
Charina's Lionsault came next — and Olivia simply lifted her legs. Charina crashed and failed.
"Why is she still doing that dinosaur Lionsault?"
"Her other moves are so broken the producers and writers had to build in a weak spot. Without a variable like that, you can't flip the momentum."
"Either way, if she stays healthy she's a superstar. Guaranteed."
"You still have to see her on the mic. Jane was just as good in the ring and still failed because she couldn't cut a promo."
"Yeah… fair point."
While they were talking, a spinning crossbody came out of nowhere — Charina rotating midair as she crashed into her opponent.
"Liam! I missed it because of you. Damn it. I'll have to beg someone else for the spinning crossbody shot."
"Sorry. I won't interrupt again."
After that Charina hit a sit-out powerbomb, but her signature shooting star press missed. Olivia answered with a chokeslam, and that was the match.
— Ding. Ding. Ding. —
The bell rang. The people around him stood and clapped and cheered. Liam rose with them, applauding and chanting Charina's name. Olivia took Charina's hand and pulled her to her feet.
"She's the best. Charina!"
"Best match I've seen all year!"
"Olivia! You were great tonight too!"
"Fantastic! Fantastic!"
Fifteen minutes, maybe? Not a long match, but packed with big moves. Charina was breathing a little hard, but to Liam's eye she barely looked tired.
Does it just not show on her face?
That was the only conclusion he could reach. Charina and Olivia waved to the crowd one last time, then walked the ramp and disappeared backstage.
"Charina debuts next week, right?"
"Dunno. Two weeks at the latest, probably."
"Damn it. How am I supposed to wait? Everything else is going to feel boring now."
Liam nodded at Ethan's words.
After the match, Charina and Olivia returned to Gorilla Position.
"Olivia. Your knee's okay?"
"Fine. This kid's small, but she's strong as hell. Caught me perfectly. Next time I think I could even take a fall from the top rope."
Olivia said it with a bright grin. Charina pouted.
"Olivia. Drop eight kilos first. Honestly, that was pretty rough."
"Maybe I should. I've been meaning to cut weight for the knee anyway."
Writers, producers, cameramen, even the ring announcer crowded around to praise them.
"Way better than the dark match. Really good."
"Even we still can't believe Rina, so imagine the fans."
"The boards are going to explode tonight."
"Ugh! This match is too good to bury. I wish we could air it."
"Rina, can you smile a little more next time? You've got a great smile and you barely used it."
"I'll try. The crowd noise threw me off a bit."
A little ways off, two people were watching them: General Manager Karl Overdia and Natasha Bland.
"Natasha. Still complaining? Forget the in-ring work — look at the crowd reaction."
"Ha. They're just reacting to a new face. How do you even compare me — someone who's been in this business almost ten years — to her?"
"If you won't admit it, fine. What else am I supposed to say? Either way, there's no title match at Emergency."
"Fuck."
Natasha Bland had been pushing for a championship match against Anne at the August PPV. She'd been hounding the GM for days.
"You can swear all you want. It's not happening. Emergency is hardcore, period."
"Then book me against that bitch before then."
"You planning to job for her? No, you're not. And if I do book it — what? So you can shoot on her and break Rina's front teeth? Or snap an ankle?"
"I won't. I said I won't."
Natasha raised her voice. Heads turned. Karl didn't care. If anything, he spoke louder, like he wanted everyone to hear.
"Hah. You think I'd believe that? Fool me once. As long as I'm in this chair, I am never booking you against Rina or Selma. Ever."
With that, the General Manager walked out of Gorilla Position.