[howardcosell]

Classic OPW: Rachel Apache vs Lady Jasmine Raheid

The story of the Rachel/ Jasmine feud is one that goes back longer than many people realize. When you think of major feuds in OPW history, you think of Rachel vs Siena, Jasmine vs Riptor, Rachel vs Riptor, Jasmine vs Alicia Christmas, Siena vs The Shadow, and even the cold war between Alicia Christmas and Siena, but Jasmine vs Rachel isn’t one that comes to mind because their feud was more behind the scenes than any other feud. It was also the most personal. Oh sure; Rachel Apache is one, if not the greatest fighter in OPW history and in the history of female fighting. She’s only lost one time in her entire career as a fighter and that was this year (2006). She’s won numerous martial arts tournaments, held the OPW world championship three times, won numerous boxing titles… she’s done it all. And then you’ve got Lady Jasmine. Jasmine is bar none, the toughest female fighter to ever grace any ring. Both women spent a little more than ten years in OPW and both left in their twenties, Rachel at 26 in 2006 and Jasmine at 20 in 2004. They were two of OPW’s biggest stars, both representing something uniquely different, but both symbols of something more than female fighting.

Rachel was born in 1979 and came out of the womb fighting. She began to learn martial arts and different fighting styles as soon as she learned how to walk. She always wanted to be regarded as the best fighter of all time. Her parents, who had both spent their times as fighters, wanted her to be something else… but Rachel had inherited their want for violence. Rachel was very headstrong and egotistical and she would promise to defeat any and all who got in her way. As a pre-teen, she was toned and tall and hit and kicked with no mercy. She also learned the art of submission. When she was only eleven, she met and sparred with Siena Brown, who was in her seventh year as OPW champion and regarded as the best female fighter in the world. Siena was very impressed with Rachel and wanted friendship, but Rachel told Siena, “When I get older, I’m going to beat you.”

Rachel’s offensive skills were second to none. She was knocking people out everywhere she went. And most of her opponents were male. Rachel would study tape of her opponents and develop a strategy and multiple back up plans. She also learned some very vicious wrestling maneuvers to go along with her stand up punching and kicking as well as her submission skills. Rachel was a perfectionist, an artist who never let the thought of losing enter her mind. She turned pro at fifteen against her after alienating her parents. Her father had taught her the submission skills she had learned, and her mother educated her on martial arts and striking, but Rachel loved the striking and began to learn the art on her own. Rachel wanted control and independence in her life and she and her parents came to a crossroads. Angelo, who had known and was in love with Rachel since childhood, urged Rachel to stay with her family. He knew that underneath the bravado and the hard toned but still very feminine body, that Rachel was very sensitive and very insecure. But Rachel still moved out of her parents house and concentrated on her fighting. Rachel joined OPW and chased Siena for a few months before she got a title shot; Siena didn’t want to fight her. Siena had no interest in fighting Rachel because Siena liked Rachel’s confidence. Not to mention, Siena knew Rachel’s parents. But Rachel would fight Siena and win the title in a classic match-up. Siena had Rachel in a submission hold where Siena was pressing down on Rachel’s navel and holding her from behind, but Rachel threw herself backwards and locked Siena’s legs, pinning her. Rachel was now on top of the world. She had grown into a 5’9” 140 lb version of the black haired blue eyed Wonder Woman with the face of Catherine Zeta Jones with fatter cheeks. She became extremely popular after beating Siena a second time, then beating Siena’s champion predecessor Alicia Christmas and established herself as the best fighter in the world. Rachel quickly became a symbol of female beauty and power and was a crossover star, drawing movie roles and many appearances on talk shows. Rachel was a very classy woman and she felt that fighters like Riptor and Jasmine abused themselves for no reason. Rachel was only concerned with winning fairly, not with entertaining the fans with displays of toughness. She picked and chose who she would defend her title against, refusing to fight Riptor and then deciding to vacate the title. At her side in every match was Angelo, but he eventually left to go to military training. Rachel was always stable with Angelo by her side, but once he left, she became less patient and more emotional. She made her return to OPW with her eyes on the championship. Without Angelo to calm her and keep her focused, Rachel started to take great pleasure in the pain she inflicted on her opponents.

On the undercard of the Rachel/Siena battle, Lady Jasmine Raheid had a battle of her own. She and male fighter Riptor would take each other to their limits in a submissions match. Riptor beat Jasmine from pillar to post, opening a huge cut on her forehead and put her in many submission moves. Riptor was just in better condition that night; he was the better fighter on this occasion and he was ready. But with her own blood streaming down her face, her leg broken in multiple places, and her legs and back being bent in a Texas cloverleaf, Jasmine refused to quit and passed out in the hold. Even after she had passed out, Jasmine refused to be taken out of the ring, she walked out on a broken leg. It was on that night that both Jasmine and Rachel became stars, but for two completely different reasons. Jasmine had her first cagefight when she was only nine years old. She lost, but she didn’t quit. She grew up in a home with two loving parents and several sisters and brothers, and while she was one of the youngest, she was one of the most loved. Fighting was something that many of her relatives had done, and she felt it was something that she had to do. Her parents didn’t pressure her into it; she just felt like she needed to have the experience. Jasmine learned the art of submission and pressure points from her father and would learn to master the art by learning variations. Jasmine knew that a submission hold could be put on from any angle and there was no real way to avoid them all. She learned to allow her opponents to come to her and dictate the pace of the fight, while she weathered their storm and looked to counter them with submissions. She also told her parents that she would retire from fighting before her twenty-first birthday. Jasmine felt that if she got fighting over with early, she could experience love and marriage and motherhood around the time everyone else does.

She was truly remarkable and began to run off a streak of wins in OPW by submission. Jasmine was very secretive about her identity, so she would dye her hair a dark green color to buffer her naturally black hair and wear a mask and all green attire. Jasmine was a 5’9” spitting image of Angelina Jolie with long legs and a soft but toned feminine body. But OPW was a unique place to young Jasmine. Siena Blaze Brown was the champion, and she didn’t seem interested in fighting Jasmine. Siena would fight and have some very tough and violent matches, but fighters like Jasmine and Riptor were not on her list of opponents. Siena and Jasmine had plenty of talks in the locker room and trained together on several occasions. Siena Brown outside of the ring was a nice friendly person, but Siena inside the ring was a bitch and Siena the boss and owner of OPW was worse than ever. Jasmine couldn’t get a world title shot, but she certainly gained the accolades of multiple reigns as the Television and People’s champion as well as a victory in the Queen of The Ring Tournament. But Jasmine wasn’t concerned with the title that much as she was with fighting. Until Rachel got a title shot. Rachel hadn’t been in OPW for six months, and she bullied her way into a match with Siena by calling Siena a coward to anyone who would listen. Jasmine had been in OPW longer than Rachel, had better matches than Rachel, talked less than Rachel and was more liked in the locker room than Rachel.

But OPW was a unique place to young Jasmine. Siena Blaze Brown was the champion, and she didn’t seem interested in fighting Jasmine. Siena would fight and have some very tough and violent matches, but fighters like Jasmine and Riptor were not on her list of opponents. Siena and Jasmine had plenty of talks in the locker room and trained together on several occasions. Siena Brown outside of the ring was a nice friendly person, but Siena inside the ring was a bitch and Siena the boss and owner of OPW was worse than ever. Jasmine couldn’t get a world title shot, but she certainly gained the accolades of multiple reigns as the Television and People’s champion as well as a victory in the Queen of The Ring Tournament. But Jasmine wasn’t concerned with the title that much as she was with fighting. Until Rachel got a title shot. Rachel hadn’t been in OPW for six months, and she bullied her way into a match with Siena by calling Siena a coward to anyone who would listen. Jasmine had been in OPW longer than Rachel, had better matches than Rachel, talked less than Rachel and was more liked in the locker room than Rachel.

Jasmine was the sexiest woman in OPW and had the most brutal matches, most of them ending with her bloody and bruised, but still walking out of the ring. Jasmine's ability to take enormous amounts of punishment made her a symbol of female toughness and determination. When Rachel won the title, Jasmine knew that as long as Rachel was champion, Jasmine would never get the belt. When Rachel vacated it, Alicia Christmas won it, and then Jasmine won it from her. Rachel decided to come back from her hiatus and it seemed as though a Rachel/ Jasmine match may happen, but Jasmine lost the title in a violent bloody war with Siena. The match was a no-holds barred barbed wire match that was only aired on television once because it was so brutal. It was one of the few matches in OPW history that was stopped when Jasmine was deemed completely dehydrated and unable to continue. Siena was semi-conscious and Jasmine was awake, but for some reason, the referee stopped the match and raised Siena’s hand. Siena was so drained from the match, that she was carried out of the ring crying loudly while Jasmine passed out in a pool of her own blood from the frustration of being screwed out of the title. With Rachel at the announce table giving color commentary, the two women hardly acknowledged each other’s existence. But on a cold winter night in Chicago, a week before Christmas, Rachel and Jasmine had their first and only match against each other. And the match would be one of the most memorable in OPW history.

So, why is this feud so personal? Why did Rachel never defend her title against Jasmine and why was there such a dislike between the two? Well, first of all, there’s something you have to know about Rachel Apache and Lady Jasmine Raheid… they’re sisters. Rachel’s last name was Raheid until she changed it after turning pro. And both women were somewhat jealous and critical of each other. Rachel felt that Jasmine had the love of her family and great talent as a fighter, but chose to abuse her body for no logical reason. Jasmine felt that Rachel had the love of Angelo, but put fighting, perfecting her skills, and being bigger than the sport above something that she (Jasmine) valued and couldn’t experience because of her schedule. The two sisters would be in the same locker room together, and wouldn’t speak to each other, and Siena was one of the few people who knew they were sisters, but she wasn’t telling anyone. But the matchup was an intriguing one. Stylistically, Rachel and Jasmine were opposites. Rachel fought on her feet by throwing combinations of punches and kicks and using wrestling moves to set up her standing leglock submission finisher, the Sharpshooter. Jasmine’s main focus was to get her opponent on the ground and make him or her submit. She also had a myriad of standing submissions including her dreaded octopus hold. Jasmine was also known for high-flying moves and the types of fast speedy fighting techniques that Mexican fighters who also wear masks tend to do. Rachel’s primary focus was to do something that no one had done: make Jasmine submit. Rachel didn’t feel as though Jasmine would present too many problems for her once she imposed her will on Jasmine. Jasmine’s focus for this fight was to take Rachel down. So, Rachel and Jasmine faced each other, not at a pay per view, but at a regular OPW show.

[howardcosell]

CONTINUATION...

“Silence” by Enigma plays, and out comes Rachel. The 5’9” 140 lb Rachel has blue eyes and extremely long wavy black hair. She’s dressed in her traditional purple sportsbra and purple shorts with white sports boots and a thin purple rubber strap tied around her head. Rachel looks great as always; her six pack glows in the purple lights and her facial expression is one of pure confidence as she stands in the center of the ring with her arms folded as she stares at the entrance.

“No Attention” by Soundgarden plays, and Jasmine walks out. The 5’9” 133 lb Jasmine is wearing a green one piece with various cutouts in it showing off her luscious abdomen, sides, and back. She has on a dark green mask with a dragon-like design to it. Her long black hair is braided in a ponytail and is hanging out of the back of the mask and she’s wearing black leather boots. Jasmine gets into the ring and paces a bit, as she always does and tests the ropes, while Rachel stares at her, not budging an inch.

Rachel backs up a bit as the bell rings and the two women circle each other. After one revolution around the ring, they both come to a stop. Rachel measures Jasmine and Jasmine remains in her Mau Thai stance, her arms raised high, and her right foot forward and stepping. Rachel’s normal approach to a fight is to cartwheel her way in and throw combinations, but Rachel knows she has to do things differently because of Jasmine’s countering style. So Rachel comes in low and then darts to Jasmine’s left, then Rachel takes Jasmine’s left leg out from under her and applies a simple leg lock. Jasmine is close to the ropes but chooses not to grab them, instead she simply rolls herself and reverses the pressure on Rachel’s leg. Rachel quickly scrambles away and to her feet before Jasmine can put on one of her submissions. Rachel quickly rams her knee into Jasmine’s back. The woman in green hisses and tries to turn around but Rachel has her around the waist from behind while Jasmine’s front is on the ropes. Jasmine grabs the top rope with her hands as Rachel attempts to pull her up for some german suplexes. Rachel slams some right hands into Jasmine’s side, but Jasmine twists Rachel’s arm, slips behind her while still holding the arm in a half nelson and wraps her other arm around Rachel’s neck while wrapping her legs around Rachel’s waist and takes her down… this is called a chickenwing choke. Jasmine adjusts her body and really sinks her hold in while Rachel relaxes her muscles.

The key to being in a submission hold, if your name is Rachel, is not to tense up. Everything Rachel does is centered around her breathing; if she can’t breath, she can’t fight. Jasmine uses her legs the same way a boa constrictor uses its body; once you exhale, she tightens her legs around your body and you can’t breath in. But Rachel knows this and relaxes her body and mind and tries to think her way out of this. She arches her back and Jasmine’s shoulders are down so the ref starts counting, 1, Jasmine rolls out. Rachel rams her head backwards into Jasmine’s and rolls Jasmine down again, 1, Jasmine adjusts herself again and this time, Rachel is able to sit up and free her arm. Jasmine goes to a full rear choke on Rachel after releasing her body scissors, but Rachel rams her elbow into Jasmine’s firm but very vulnerable stomach and hears Jasmine let out a “whooo.” Rachel slips out of Jasmine’s grasp by dropping on her side, then Rachel twists and kicks Jasmine in the head, “UNH!” the blow sends Jasmine flat on her back. Rachel quickly mounts her sister and begins to pummel her with punches to her head while Jasmine covers up. Rachel makes various noises when she throws punches and Jasmine is “unnh”-ing and “oh”-ing. Rachel’s punches are very accurate and they hurt like hell; she knows how to punch through a guard. Then Rachel moves down Jasmine’s body and hits her in the solar plexus; Jasmine winces and exhales… she hates being hit in the body. Rachel eyes Jasmine’s Persian tanned tummy and sexy perfectly round navel and wants to strike there, but Jasmine quickly grabs her left arm, pulls her own legs around Rachel’s left shoulder and neck and twists her into a triangle hold. Jasmine grits her teeth and tightens her legs as much as she can while rolling herself on her stomach and Rachel on her right side. Having the hold on from this angle really hurts Rachel because not only is her arm trapped under Jasmine’s body, but her neck is pinned on the mat by her arm and Jasmine’s legs; this puts pressure on Rachel’s right shoulder because it is pinned underneath everything else. It’s very uncomfortable for Jasmine too, but it’s worth it to her.

Rachel knows she’s being choked out and she’s starting to get very desperate and worried, but she refuses to submit. Jasmine may very well be the best submissions fighter on the planet; losing to her is nothing to feel bad about. But Rachel is Rachel; she’s never lost and she certainly doesn’t want to submit to her younger sister, no matter who she is. In a feat of strength which even Rachel impresses herself, she gets her right arm under her right side, flattens her right hand, and does a one-handed pushup, lifting her body and Jasmine’s. This allows Rachel to get to her knees and she rolls Jasmine forward and pins her on the back of her neck, 1,2, Jasmine kicks out and releases the hold. Rachel quickly begins kicking Jasmine’s ribs and the little sounds of “ohhh” and “ahh” only make Rachel want more. She finally stomps on Jasmine’s stomach, forcing an “OOF!!” from the most desired woman in OPW history. Rachel is on her feet while Jasmine is on the ground with her legs raised waiting. Rachel lands a few kicks to Jasmine’s legs, but the green-eyed enigma doesn’t do anything but stare at her sister and wait. Rachel backs up and allows Jasmine to get back on her feet… well, not exactly. Rachel waits until Jasmine is on one knee and then she elbows her hard behind the neck. Rachel yanks Jasmine up into a hard knee to the stomach, “AUGH!!” then Rachel sends Jasmine hard into the corner. Rachel charges, does a cartwheel and a forward somersault into a double front kick that nails Jasmine in the face, “UUNNHH!!” Jasmine is tough enough not to go down from such a blow, but as she staggers out of the corner, Rachel bounces off the ropes and knocks Jasmine down with a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus. Jasmine gasps and lays on her back while Rachel goes for the cover, 1,2, nope, Jasmine’s foot is on the ropes. Rachel stands and argues with the referee, then she begins to land elbows to Jasmine’s right leg. This was the leg that Riptor broke and it hasn’t fully healed, even after this much time. Rachel also lands a few double axe handle shots to Jasmine’s stomach, and Jas’ groans only get louder as Rachel’s face becomes meaner and meaner. Innovating on a move that both she and Siena use, Rachel puts Jasmine’s head and neck across the bottom rope, then she stands on them with both feet and presses down. Rachel then jumps off Jasmine’s neck and drives her butt down on Jasmine’s back, “AHHHHHHHH!!!” Jasmine cries as she flails on the mat. Jasmine isn’t known as someone who groans or cries out like that during her matches; she is pretty quiet and you can’t tell if she’s in pain or not. But Rachel is all about painful offense and Rachel is very happy to hear these noises.

Rachel looks out at the crowd and brushes her hair out of her face and lifts Jasmine up. Rachel picks Jasmine up and slams her back across her knee then picks her up again, flips her over and doing the same move, she slams Jasmine’s stomach across her knee. Jasmine is down holding her belly while Rachel stands over her with her hands on her hips. Rachel looks pretty pissed off as she presses her right foot on Jasmine’s stomach and lifts Jasmine’s right leg, hooks it around Rachel’s left leg, and twists it clockwise. Jasmine is looking at the submission and at the same time keeping her shoulders off the mat. Rachel looks down at her sister and smiles. Jasmine knows this isn’t a good thing because Rachel doesn’t smile. Rachel keeps her leg hooked with Jasmine’s but jumps forward, driving her right knee into Jasmine’s throat, then Rachel goes for a pin while keeping the leg locked, 1,2, Jasmine manages to roll Rachel over and reverse the pressure to Rachel’s leg and traps Rachel’s head under her arm in a guillotine choke. Rachel knows all about Jasmine’s legendary toughness but experiencing it up close and personal is a completely new thing for her. While both women grew up in the same house, they’ve never trained together and never sparred together, and they hardly ever spoke to each other unless it was to ask to pass something at the dinner table. Rachel starts to punch Jasmine in the side with very hard right hands, and it isn’t long before Jasmine is really struggling to hold on the choke and to her position. Rachel is really being motivated by the loud noises her sister is making every time she gets hit in the body, and she feeling the softness of Jasmine’s side and seeing the pained look in her eyes and on her mouth despite the mask Jasmine is wearing. Eventually, Rachel is able to simply push Jasmine off of her, and there is a pretty big bruise on Jasmine’s left side. Rachel rises and Jasmine get to her hands and knees. Rachel is breathing heavily but is trying to reduce her breathing as she kicks Jasmine hard in the belly and sends her rolling around. Rachel figures she got a few seconds, so she goes to a corner and undoes the turnbuckle pad and removes it, exposing the steel grip.

Rachel tries to whip Jasmine to that corner, but Jasmine reverses and sends Rachel into the opposite corner. Jasmine moves in and lands several straight punches to Rachel’s face and some kicks to her ribs that make Rachel hiss, but Rachel grabs Jasmine’s right leg and pulls her down. Jasmine uses Rachel’s momentum to backwards somersault and wrap her leg around Rachel’s, sending Rachel down on her stomach. With her leg hooked around Rachel and her back to Rachel, Jasmine arches herself backwards like a bow and grabs Rachel under chin and pulls her head and neck… this is called an inverted STF and it is one of Jasmine’s trademark moves. Rachel grabs the rope and Jasmine releases the hold. Rachel turns over and sits up, but Jasmine stands and leans over her from behind. Jasmine hooks Rachel’s right arm under her own and twists it counter clockwise, and hooks Rachel’s head under her left arm. Rachel’s eyes and nose are pressed against Jasmine’s bicep… this move is called the eastern stretch. Jasmine jumps forward and hooks her legs around Rachel’s waist and pulls her back. Rachel can’t see and she can’t breath, but she knows she’s close to the ropes because she’s in the corner. She flails her legs around, so Jasmine lowers her legs and hooks them around Rachel’s left leg, preventing it from moving. Rachel’s left leg is the one closest to the ropes and Rachel figures this out so she uses her right leg and the rest of her body and scoots back hard. The motion moves the two women further into the corner and Jasmine’s head is now on the bottom turnbuckle; this is just like being in the ropes, so the referee breaks the hold because this time, Jasmine doesn’t release it immediately. Both women face each other while sitting down; they both look at each other’s huffing and puffing bodies. Then they both quickly rise to their feet. Rachel doubles Jasmine over with a right hand to her belly, Jasmine’s tongue is forced out of her mouth and her big green seductive eyes widen as the air is forced from her lungs. Then Rachel grabs Jasmine around her waist and flips her over her head… this is called an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Rachel gets up and takes a moment to reduce her breathing back to normal. Rachel picks Jasmine up and slams her head first into the steel grip in the corner. Rachel stops and a look of concern covers her face as she looks down at her sister. It seems as though Rachel got carried away; she looks to just outside the corner, but Angelo isn’t there to tell her anything. Rachel looks very upset and sad now, but that expression quickly disappears as she covers Jasmine, 1,2, no! Jasmine kicks out in a violent fashion.

Jasmine rolls over on her stomach as blood is dripping from the large eye openings in her mask; she’s seen these two bloody circles on the mat many times. Jasmine has become accustomed to the sight of her own blood during matches; she actually laughs to herself even though she’s in a lot of pain. Rachel is a master at giving pain and Jasmine is a master at taking pain… but Jasmine doesn’t want to be known for being able to take a good beating. Especially not to Rachel… not to her overly confident, overly moral and overly anal older sister. Jasmine rolls out of the ring while Rachel watches, shakes her head from side to side, and follows. Rachel pulls Jasmine up, but in a desperate move, Jasmine whips Rachel into the steel steps. Rachel jumps over them, but her momentum takes her shoulder first into the steel barricade. Rachel is down and hurting while Jasmine gets on the ring apron and climbs the turnbuckle to the top rope. Jasmine leaps off the top rope and goes for a flying headbutt, but Rachel moves and Jasmine’s stomach and ribs crash across the top of the steel barricade. Jasmine is almost certain her ribs are broken as Rachel pulls her up. Rachel faces Jasmine, hooks her right leg with Jasmine’s right leg, grabs Jasmine around the neck with her right arm and throws herself backwards… this is called a Downward Spiral and it’s one of Rachel’s trademarks. What’s suppose to happen is Jasmine’s throat is suppose to hit Rachel’s bicep or shoulder, but outside of the ring, what happens is Jasmine’s head hits the steel ring steps. Rachel didn’t look behind her and once she realized they were that close to the rings steps, she let go of Jasmine and angled her own body out of the way as she was falling back. Rachel looks angrily at Jasmine as Jasmine struggles to rise, despite all the pain she must be in. Rachel tosses Jasmine in the ring and pins her, 1,2, no! Jasmine gets her foot on the ropes. Rachel becomes very angry with the ref, yelling at him, “This is MY victory! MY VICTORY!! I am THE BEST!! You’re trying to STEAL it from me!!” Rachel even looks like she’s going to cry as she berates the referee while holding up three fingers. Usually, Rachel is stoic and calm, but all the factors in this match are really getting to her. Not to mention, usually, her matches are a lot easier. Once again, she looks to the corner, and looks depressingly down; Angelo is not there to tell her to calm down. Rachel pulls Jasmine up and stands beside her. Then Rachel puts her arm around Jasmine’s shoulders, hooks her right leg with Jasmine’s left leg and throws the both of them back… this is called a side Russian leg sweep, and everyone knows what comes next. Rachel steps between Jasmine’s legs and to her own right with her right leg, crosses Jasmine’s leg around her right leg and then turn her on her stomach and sits back… this is called a Sharpshooter or the Scorpion Deathlock… but Rachel refers to it as the Sharpshooter and it is her submission finishing move, but as she’s turning Jasmine, Jasmine yanks her foot from under her and Rachel falls on her stomach. Jasmine quickly spins to a seated position and locks her long legs around Rachel’s legs, her waist and her aching right shoulder… people call this move a trailerhitch submission, I don’t know what Jasmine calls it, but it’s her finisher. Jasmine knows a gazillion submissions, but this is the one she’s put the most people away with.

Jasmine’s back is to the ropes and Rachel is nowhere near them, so Rachel’s in a world of danger as Jasmine is smiling broadly while she tries to secure Rachel’s feet with her arms. Rachel angrily, violently and desperately kicks and nails Jasmine in the face with three brutal kicks to her head; the blows stun the Angelina Jolie lookalike enough that Rachel rolls her body over to where Jasmine is on her stomach and now Rachel is in the seated position. Rachel pulls her legs free and yanks Jasmine away from the ropes by her mask. Naturally, Jasmine grabs her mask and Rachel forces her back down on her stomach by sitting on her back. Rachel applies a full nelson and interlocks her fingers on the back of Jasmine’s neck while pressing her sister’s head forward and bending her body up and back while sitting on her back like a camel clutch. This is one of Siena’s moves and Rachel isn’t happy to be using it, but it works. Jasmine’s body is spent and she has really no way out of this move… she knows Rachel may have her. Rachel said that her main goal in this match was to be the first person to ever make Jasmine submit, and she’s pulling on Jasmine with all her might. With her arms above her head like this, Jasmine’s possibly broken ribs are also in agony and she can see the blood from her eyes and now her mouth on the mat below her. Rachel could break her shoulders and arms if she keeps squeezing; Jasmine knows this. So what does she do? She gives in… “AHHHHHH!!!” she yanks her arms hard in the direction Rachel is squeezing them in and intentionally dislocates both her shoulders and slips out of Rachel’s hold. Rachel can hear the popping sounds and her Persian skinned Catherine Zeta Jones with fatter cheeks face turns a shade a pale as she stands up and looks down at her sister, who is writhing in pain. Rachel could pin Jasmine, but she knows Jasmine would kick out again. If Rachel trusts you enough to confide in you, she would tell you that this is what she hates about Jasmine more than anything else; she refuses to give up. Rachel believes that she is better than Jasmine, and she believes that Jasmine knows Rachel is better. But Jasmine has to be Jasmine; she has to take unnecessary punishment to prove a point about nothing.

“Why won’t you just quit!!” Rachel yells down at Jasmine, “Do you see what you’re doing to yourself???” Rachel once again puts Jasmine in the Sharpshooter. This time, Jasmine is in the middle of the ring, nowhere near the ropes and in too much pain to do much. Rachel sits back and arches Jasmine’s legs as far back as possible while Jasmine twists herself and rams her right shoulder back into place. Jasmine tries desperately to break the hold with her legs, but NO ONE has broken the Sharpshooter once Rachel has gotten it in. Jasmine is in so much pain and Rachel is shaking her head up and down and waiting for Jasmine to tap out and submit. Rachel enjoys adding things like this to her resume, which includes first to beat Siena Blaze Brown and end her eleven year unbeaten streak, first to defeat Siena and Alicia Christmas, and soon to be, first to make Lady Jasmine Raheid submit. Yes that’s why Rachel got into OPW, to conquer it and prove emphatically that she is the best fighter in the world. But Jasmine has her own ending in mind. Jasmine is regarded as the toughest female fighter on the planet; her threshold for pain is immeasurable, but Rachel has pushed it pretty far. Jasmine knows she can’t get out of the sharpshooter, but rather than quit to Rachel, she opts for something else. She takes her right hand, places it around her own throat and squeezes until she passes out. Rachel has gotten everything she’s wanted, whether by force or by gift, but Jasmine would never allow Rachel to beat her by submission. She’d die first.

The referee pulls Rachel off of Jasmine and Rachel celebrates. But when the announcer says, “Due to Jasmine forcing herself to pass out… the winner via Jasmine’s chokehold… RACHEL APACHE!!” Rachel isn’t happy. Jasmine didn’t follow the script. When Rachel puts on the sharpshooter, you are supposed to quit; Jasmine didn’t do that. Rachel goes under the ring and finds something… a baseball bat. She gets into the ring and rams the bat down on Jasmine’s ribs, then on her stomach, and then on her throat. The crowd begins to boo Rachel as she is crying and is very angry. Rachel always played fair and was never considered a “bad guy” in OPW, but now, she’s snapped. Rachel never knew the value of having Angelo in her corner until now, because she puts the already unconscious Jasmine back in the sharpshooter and holds on until the referees try to pry her off. She refuses to let go, but then Riptor comes down to the ring and a smiling Rachel exits. Riptor and Jasmine have had some of the most violent matches with each other but there is a respect between the two of them. Rachel looks upset as she backs up the ram and watches her sister. She really appears to be regretting what she’s done. After Rachel is gone, for the first time in her career, Jasmine is taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Rachel is in her private locker room crying and calls Angelo and confesses what she’s done. He tells her to go and apologize, so she goes to see about Jasmine after the show is over, but Jasmine is gone. Jasmine doesn’t go to the hospital; she tapes herself up, takes a few days off from training and is in a match at next week’s show. The two women would never face each other in a match again. Jasmine goes on the become OPW champion two more times before retiring in 2004 at age 20. The OPW champion at the time was a young fighter named Glory and she was in her fourth unbeaten year as champion. Jasmine wanted to fight her, but nagging injuries over the years and a feeling of not being able to ever be back at top form kept Jasmine and Glory from facing each other. She would also be inducted into the female fighting hall of fame, and at her induction show, she would beat Siena by submission in her final match. As for Rachel, she would also win the OPW championship two more times and continue to have success in boxing and cagefighting, even becoming the first fighter to make Siena quit. And Angelo would return and be in her corner for all of it. Rachel would leave OPW in 2006 and finally suffer her first loss as an overall fighter to Nikky Smalls in a boxing match a few months later. While, to this day, Rachel and Jasmine don’t really talk to each other, the one match between Rachel Apache and Lady Jasmine Raheid will always live as a testament to the greatness of both women.
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But of course, they did fight again, and that match was probably the greatest match of any two competitors in that promotion.

[Kayla]

Indeed a classic - thanks for the repost, HC!  (though I think I may still have had this one saved somewhere) 

Hugs
Kayla

[~Rox Erotique~]

Harsh action, great emotion!

I love the way that the facts tell the tale! the story is read like a script with the narrator not taking a side or conveying any feelings but instead the action is what evokes the feelings in you, you write it so well that you can see it happening! I actually winced when she dislocated her own shoulder! I was that close!

the small signs Racheal becoming more unhinged as her rock isn't in the corner to calm her and her regrets at her own actions... awesome stuff!

x g x

[Marie B.]

Nice to see this story again.

[howardcosell]

Thanks, guys. I originally wrote this to set up both Rachel and Jasmine's returns to the present continuity of the OPW stories Marie B. and I were writing. I'm glad you liked it, Gemma, because I really worried about portraying the internal conflicts with both of those women properly without losing the feel of the actual match. If you're telling me I did well, and Marie, talented as she is, said the same back then, I know I did. I greatly appreciate the feedback from two of my favorite writers.