[RedEnforcer]

It is a struggle just to stay against this corner and I end up slumped down on my ass. Even like this I am having a hard time sitting up.

Have you ever been in a car accident?
Ever been hit by the airbag?
Tossed about and jerked hard by the seatbelt?

Now imagine that impact, and imagine you hit a tank.

That is what it is like to be hit by Jenny Dare. Make no mistake here. I hit damn hard myself. I nearly had her sleepered out. And now? After a trademark Daredevil flurry, I am on my ass, beat down like a government mule, whipped like a red headed stepchild. She stomped a mud hole in me and walked it dry.

That is what you sign up for when you step in the ring with Jenny. You go strong, go smart or go to the hospital.

So I made a mistake or two. Right now, yes I am reevaluating my life choices.

There she is, the blonde Amazon. A fearsome Valkyrie. And I hope I have her right where I want her.

She grips the top rope and kicks up and back. Her knees raised, ready to strike my head. Swinging like a pendulum. Like the Poe story, ready to slice my last defense.

There is no fancy counter to this. In fact I just do what my body has been screaming for me to do for some time now.

I relax and slide down to the mat.

One way to survive a huge impact is to go limp. The harder you fight, the more damage you do.
 
I relax.

And my hands go up to that left boot. Desperately trying to grab it and hang on.

Hang on so I can wrench it, stop this adrenaline fueled come back. And survive.

Sorry Jenny. If you thought I would just take another couple of moves and lay down for you. You were wrong.

Tooth and nail. And with my last breath.

You and me. Lets give these folks the final battle they have been waiting for.

[RedEnforcer]

I really am gettin too old for this shit.

How do you know when that battle with time is being lost? When you start waking up in the morning and instead of listening to the weather report on the radio or television, your joints give you a pretty accurate gauge of the humidity and barometric pressure for the day as well as a rough guess on the temperature.

My surgery a few years back and the complications and such probably accelerated the process but here I am. Lying in the corner of the ring, hurting like a sunuvabitch and squeezing the ankle of a tough competitor.

She deserves better than what I have done to her in this match. Unfortunately that fucking snake got her fangs in me and here we are.  I have been completely off my game from the start, trying mind games, trying flippy moves, trying to be everything not me. Maybe subconsciously trying to warn Jenny?

Maybe or just too much of a coward to do what I need to do to get this done.

So, old school me. I am so sorry Jenny.

And that is the last time I let that thought enter my head.

We all wear masks. My favorite poem (yes redneck wrasslers can in fact have favorite poems) is by Paul Laurence Dunbar. We Wear The Mask. His frame of reference was being a black man at the turn of the 19th to the 20th Century, but the sentiment applies in other contexts as well. We all have our masks. We wear them in our daily lives to get through work. With the advent of the internet we are able to either drop our masks and show how we really are or adopt different ones to allow us to play in fantasy realms where we can be who we want to be.

Astute viewers will see that I am not wearing my mask for this fight. That was due to Rowan as well. I dont know what went on in her head during Paris, but she is much colder. I was unprepared. And now she has my mask. And I know she would use that against Jenny. 

But now, it is time for me to get off my ass and put that metaphorical mask back on. Become the Enforcer again. Finish this fight and move on to the next one.

So despite the creaky joints and rebelling muscles, I move.

I slide out of the ring, pulling Jenny and her ankle with me. I dont pull her far. Just enough for me to lift her leg under the bottom rope and jam her ankle down against that hard edge of the apron.

The mask is back on. The Enforcer is back. Time to dismantle the Daredevil.

[RedEnforcer]

I thought she was playing possum. But dammit I couldnt  stop her.

She did this to me before. Came back from the precipice of defeat. Ended up beating me. Those tough pro fights eventually led to respect and maybe on some level friendship. But the more I stayed around her, the more I realized I wasnt worthy of being near her. Not every booker liked the idea of a face Enforcer, much less one tagging with Jenny. (This was before Candice and Joey made a splash with an intergender tag team) So I drifted away, went back to my gym and found some new challenges. And an angel. FTW came about and she popped back into my life. Part of the reality style booking was to be Jenny confronting me about ditching her. We never played that out. And here we are.

She is still in fine form and so when I pull her leg up, her other foot comes crashing into my jaw.

Fuck that hurts. And I drop down to the mat.

Good idea Jenny, but I have your ankle.

No way I am letting go of you this time.

As I fall, I yank your leg and mostly that ankle with me.

Gawd these mats arent near soft enough.

[RedEnforcer]

I push myself up from the mats. I'm a little dazed and discombobulated. I can hearly clear the ref say FIVE. I mean clearly hear. Wow, that was a kick. But why isn't Jenny coming after me?

I pull myself up to the apron and see her there, not wanting to put weight on her ankle. I either banged it up on the way down hard, or this is another possum game. Safest thing to assume is she's playing possum. 

At around seven I make up up onto the apron and motion at the ref to keep you back when you're nowhere near me. But like a drone, he goes to talk to you and I slide back into the ring.

Ok Jenny, lets see just how bad you are banged up. I circle you and get my arms up.

Collar and Elbow. Old School.

How strong is that ankle?

[samsoni]

Jeeze Virginia dont be pickin on the huge shirt.... hairy backed guys

[RedEnforcer]

I need to get this done fast. The more this drags out, the better it goes for Rowan no matter which one of us loses.

I see you still hopping. Weird stance, but you seem to be going for that tie up. Good old reliable Jenny.

So when I lean in with my right arm leading...

You promptly leap up which catches me off guard because you don't do that sort of thing and you grab my right arm and shoulder.

FUCK

It's the shoulder you popped out of joint during our Texas Death Match. You fucking remember. But worse than that, you're doing a move that Rowan would do.

She had to have gotten to you. She talked you into coming back and pointed you at me.  She saw you in Paris after so long and knew she needed me hurt or you hurt so she could take this title. And she trained you? Why? Why are you doing her moves? What did she say to you to get you to fight me.

The shock of it all has me falling forward. Which sucks. See kids, with a move like ADR's cross arm breaker, what you do is grab the trapped wrist and keep your opponent from extending it. Then, if you're strong enough, you yank that sucker up off the mat and powerbomb them to hell.

Now if you end up face first on the mat like I am, forget all that.

But your legs are scissoring my arm and you know how hard to pull. You've pulled that hard before..before we really knew each other...You popped my shoulder out.

One good thing about this is I have a little extra time to think about a counter. And as fast as I can, my free hand snakes up towards your boots. Pick a foot Red. 

I grab the toe of your boot....and my eyes are wet because of the pain I'm feeling right now as you're straining my arm...not because of what I'm going to do next..

Not because I'm going to twist that boot...

And not because I think Rowan has her claws in you...

[RedEnforcer]

Fuck.

Your ankle is out of reach.
I can feel your strong legs tightening on my, clamping my arm and securing a hold more.

And you tug. Muscles and tendons strain. Bones slide. Shit you are still strong as ever.

As I shake my head no, I hear you ask me to not make you do it.

I feel your hands tighter on my wrist, turning my arm.

I pull my knees up under me and I hear you say louder, almost pleading. But I shake my head no.

You scream at me. I reach out at the referee. Hand on his face, dragging fingers at his eyes as I shake my head no.

Damn. The ref is rolling away in pain as I feel you gripping my tighter and snarling now.

I say nothing and turn my head to look at you, wordlessly staring. Eyes meeting. I wish I could tell you what Rowan threatened me with, but you wont believe me.

I struggle up, trying to lift you as well. Shaking my head no the whole time.

[RedEnforcer]

And here is the moment. That one time in every match where the end is decided.  I have been fighting a different kind of fight for me and still here we are. I am sore, hurting and in trouble.

And there you are, the Yellow Rose of Texas in all her glory, fighting through the pain to deliver her finisher and end the bad guy once and for all. Good triumphs at last.

End scene.

Except...

I have not been talking. I have kept my mouth shut for some time.

When I sensed the end coming, I had a little accident with the referee leaving him a little distracted.

And I have bet everything I have on you. On the fact that no matter what happened. If you learned from Rowan or not. That you would be you.

That you would sense me at the end of my rope and offer me a Go Home Lariat.

And when you drop down and I feel you moving at me, I watch you, and my eyes smile.

You always look so lovely  when you are delivering this move.  It is as part of you as your honest nature. You are in your element and it is a beautiful sight.

But to keep you safe from Rowan, to keep you that Jenny still...

I have to do this.

And with a deep explosion from my diaphragm, I spit.

My last homage to my master, the Great Kabuki.

Asian mist.

A bright red spray shoots from my mouth towards that face...your face...

And here we see who hits what. You with your lariat or me with my mist.

It all gets decided here.

[RedEnforcer]

I see you on the canvas and my shoulder breathes a sigh of relief.

It looks almost comical as the ref is still trying to get his sight back and you're rolling on the mat, wordlessly screaming.

I know what kinda pain you're in. It took me a while before I could get used to this..whatever the hell it is..in my mouth. My teacher's recipe.  I tried the green stuff but that paralyzed my tongue. The red, just fits. You're down and helpless and easy prey.  I can just hear Rowan telling me

Now is your chance, Red. Finish her, once and for all.

And I could...it'd be sooooo easy.

And I see you and the pain you're in now, which will go away with water, and....

I grab the ref and toss him over near your shoulders. Then I drop down across your torso. Classic pinning position. I reach out for your left leg...and stop...grabbing your right instead and wrapping my right arm under your thigh and pulling up.  Hooking the leg. Which people tend to overstate, but it is important.

I also pull hard enough to have my body lean so my weight presses on your shoulders as well. This is the most important, it keeps people from just rolling their shoulder out of a pin.

The ref rubs his eyes and sees shoulders down and slaps the mat hard..


"ONE"

Not much longer now.

[RedEnforcer]

"TWO"

And one more slap and this is all over. The bell will ring, Jenny will be safe and I get to beat the hell out of Row--

DING DING DING

Hunh? Did I miss the slap? I look up at the ref who yells at me after seeing Jenny covered in mist.

"DQ! DQ!"

FUCK! Wait..a DQ...I keep the title. I lose, but I'm still champ.  I still have to face Rowan.  I'll take it.

I let go of your leg and shift over on your chest and immediately start to wipe the red gunk off your eyes.

"Shhhh..be still...keep your eyes closed...calm down...match is over...lemme help"

I try my best to get the red stuff off your eyes first...then as the ref brings in a bottle of water, I start gently pouring it on your face...

"Here, you'll need to drink something too."

People are kinda stunned. Booing the DQ call, booing me, booing everything about this...

[RedEnforcer]

2 days later

I am back in the office of the bigwigs of the FCF Wrestling federation.  You would never expect an internet media site to run a wrestling promotion, but stranger things have happened. I really do not wanna be here so I show up dressed accordingly.  My old and faded high school ball cap (Class of 91), the t-shirt promoting my gym (that idea came from Sadie, I just want to run a gym and school but she always is on me about Marketing plans and such, so much so I wonder if Megan and her trademark all the things ways has rubbed off on my angel) and jeans that used to be blue, probably last millennium, but are my favorite hanging out pair to wear especially when I have the belt my dad used to wear, double thick leather with a America designed belt buckle as big as most folks fist holding it together and my worn, black canvas Chuck Taylors (size 13).

But no mask this time. Rowan still has it. She got it from me in a moment of weakness for me. I know what you may be thinking. I could just wear another. No, this one was taken off by me for a reason. And some traditions have to be upheld. Till then, I have the reflective aviator shades that were my dads on. Near enough of hiding to suit me.

There is some conversation going on and I really dont hear much of it. My mind is still back in Louisiana, in that ring.

She kissed me

Yeah and then she slapped the taste out of your mouth.

Explaining that situation to Sadie when I didnt understand it myself?

Yeah, I have no fucking idea what is going on in her head. Jenny I mean.

So we have a preliminary agreement?

Those words snap me back to the present.

What now?

The promoter looks over at me with a wolfish  smile. You know, not the Kevin Costner spirit of the earth type wolves or even the overly CGI Twilight wolves. No the one that was looking to take on Liam Nelson in the snow. That look.

He pushes me a contract over. I look at it. One month give or take, Jenny gets her rematch.

In Texas.

Stipulations to be determined later.

Rowan still will not be medically cleared in time, so Jenny Dare gets another shot at you. This time, could you wear your mask? We need to move some merchandise. As soon as we determine the location in Texas and the host promoter, we will hammer out the stipulations. Just rest assured, next time there will be a winner.

Great. One month to get ready for another ass whipping.

And he wants me to get my mask back.

The hits just keep coming.

[Rowan Chance]

(SADIE WINS THE INTERNET TODAY!!!)