Chapter 2 – The Fort Sill Shuffle
By the time I caught my breath and shook the cobwebs from my head the referee and one of the ring attendants were helping me to my feet and to the ropes. I was a bit shaky as I slipped out onto the ring apron from between the ropes and carefully walked down the steps with the help of the ring assistant that held my arm to steady me. I was taken back to the locker room where my street clothing was kept. After I assured the male ring attendant that I was ok I was left on my own to shower but before he left I was informed that I should find the promoter. He wanted to have a little chat with me.
My meeting with the promoter consisted of us discussing an opening that he had on a wrestling card the following week at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. He was looking for a jobber to wrestle against Cherry and since we put on a good show together he asked me if I was interested in hooking up with her in the ring again. At first, I hesitated giving the drubbing that I took at her hands not less than an hour ago, but as I thought the offer over I realized that I came into this match unprepared for such a tall, strong and skilled opponent. When I agreed to the match I promised myself that I would be ready next time and would make a better accounting of myself in the ring. I knew that it would be another one-sided battle but at least I would know what to expect and what to plan for the next time.
This time Drusilla did not come with me on match night. She said that my last match upset her too much seeing me get tossed around and pummeled by an amazon. I felt bad because she was upset by my first match and did not tell me about it right off. What felt worse was that I would have to go it alone on my second match. I know that Drusilla didn’t help me in my match against Cherry but at least I knew that with her out in the audience that I wasn’t alone if that makes sense.
On match night I skipped dinner and just had a little lemonade to drink. One thing that they taught us in Japan was not to eat a full meal before a match for obvious reasons. One good knee or stomp to the belly would allow the audience to see what you had for dinner. Yes, I know its gross but… well, there it is. I don’t mind eating alone at home but eating out by myself just kind of looks… pathetic so this was another good reason to skip dinner.
I made it to the army base early and got settled into the dressing room that I was assigned to. Unlike the event the previous week, this one was in an auditorium that doubled as a venue for basketball and had seating for between 500 and 1000 spectators. The interior was spartan as you would expect for an army base, yet it was more accommodating than the airplane hanger that the air force used the previous week.
Just like my first match I had no idea who my opponent was. Not that I didn’t know her, it was because the list was not finalized and had yet to be posted. I’m sure that if I were friends with the promoter or had an agent or manager I would have known who I was matched up against. The way I found out had me shaken a bit. I dressed out early and went out to the ring area to have a walk around to check things out and as I was making my way around the outside of the ring I see Cherry heading for the dressing room on the opposite side of the auditorium. Now this alone was not enough to make me believe that I was hooked up for another squash match. Her pointing at me and drawing her thumb across her throat spoke volumes and gave me the news that I was dreading. I was once again matched up with the Potato Princess from Idaho.
Not to be intimidated by her silent taunt I did the first worst thing that I could think of and that was to flip her the bird. I figured she was already planning to do me harm so a little one finger salute was not going to make things that much worse, or maybe it could.
For my second match I chose to wear a combination that was a bit sexier than the first. My outfit consisted of a pair of purple and white shorts with a matching cropped metallic looking form fitting tank top. Seeing Cherry was my opponent I went back to the kick pads and abandoned the shoes seeing as how I was thinking of hitting her with anything I could come up with to see if I could chop or kick down that tall Cherry tree.
One thing I picked up on during my walk around the ring was that there were no barriers separating the crowd from the ring area so someone being tossed from the ring could end up in the lap of someone in the front row. The difference between the set up at Fort Sill and what they had for my first match was that they had a six-foot-wide ramp leading up to the center of the ring from the area where our dressing rooms were located. I snickered to myself thinking that the ramp would serve me well after the match when they wheeled me out of the ring in a wheelchair or on a gurney.
When it came time for my match I made the walk to the ring smartly wearing my shiny and tiny purple and white outfit as my temporary entrance tune Who Made Who by AC/DC. After I made my entrance to the ring and as my music faded a lovely young lady with a thick Oklahoma accent introduced me as Tessa from Warsaw Poland and announced my height as 5’3” and 115 pounds. Yes, I lied again about my weight. This is one of the odd times that you’ll see a woman increasing her weight instead of decreasing it.
When Cherry was called to the ring she was dressed in the same OD green tank top and Daisy Dukes that barely covered her ass, and her favorite white high-top sneaks. Her brown hair was short and came down near her shoulders. She made her way down the aisle to the same horrible country and western song that she used for our previous match.
When her crappy music faded she was introduced as Cherry and with her height being 6’1” and her weight at 155 pounds. As I looked her over from across the ring I vowed to make a better showing of myself this time than I had in our previous match. During the time between that match and this I focused on scraping off the ring rust and not being so much in my own head as I was previously. Over thinking everything in our previous match got me into trouble as my reactions were slowed and gave Cherry an advantage that she obviously didn’t need giving her height, weight, and experience.
The referee gave each of us the customary check for foreign objects before he called us to the center of the ring and quickly went over the rules. There was a stark contrast to the size of Cherry compared to me and the audience knew that this match would end similar to my last encounter with Cherry. In fact, some of the audience members were encouraging her to have another squash match with me. I suppose there are some out there that had seen that debacle and enjoy a good ryona wrestling match. From where I was standing it was obvious that I would be the ryona girl once again.
Once the ref was done he called for the bell and the match was on. Cherry went for a quick collar and elbow opening but I went behind her and grabbed her low around the waist in a futile attempt to secure a Waist Lock on her. Low to Cherry was about chest high to me if anyone is wondering. Cherry tried to pull my hands apart but I had a good grip and was squeezing tightly. Cherry switched tactics and tried to elbow me in the side of the head but she was aiming too high as she swung her arm backwards several times toward my head.
Cherry broke the hold by shifting her weight forward and then driving her butt backwards into me. Cherry tried to follow up with a forearm to my head but I ducked under the attempt and headed for the ropes behind Cherry. I came off the ropes as Cherry turned to face me and attempted a clothesline, which I ducked under. I continued to run the ropes in various directions crossing the ring at different angles to keep Cherry guessing. each time I came toward my tall opponent she tried to clothesline me without positive results and at times looked quite clumsy and oafish as she missed. I was too fast and too quick to duck under her attempts and was putting on a high-speed exhibition that would have made my trainers back at the dojo in Japan proud. Cherry looked like a giant trying to swat a mosquito with a sledgehammer and was failing miserably. I was beginning to notice that her conditioning might be an issue so I kept up my cat and mouse game as long as I could in the hope of wearing her down without making a mistake that would get me caught.
I changed things up and as she came off the ropes Cherry once again went for a clothesline but I came off the ropes also and headed straight for her as she stood in the center of the ring waiting to clothesline me. I raised my arm with a clenched fist and clubbed Cherry across the chest with a forearm smash. The unexpected flying forearm knocked Cherry back a step before she recovered her footing. She smirked, held her arms out and asked is, “Is that all you got ya little pip squeak?”
Hearing her taunt to me I backed off and charged at the tall woman and fired a forearm into her chest again. The blow sent Cherry’s hair flying about in all directions and backed her up about a step or so. Cherry started to taunt me again about her greater size and challenged me to try again. I turned quickly and made for the ropes but this time as I attempted a forearm shot to Cherry’s chest she countered and blocked the strike with her arm. The crowd was enjoying my actions but they were obviously on Cherry’s side as the majority of them were chanting, “Squash that bug!”
Cherry countered by grabbing me by the throat with her other hand and pushing me back to the ropes. Cherry had me goozled quickly and was holding my back tightly against the ropes as the referee came over and warned her about the choke. Cherry was slow to respond and held on to my throat until the referee got to four in his count. Cherry quickly broke the hold and then sent her long forearm in hard against my chest while my back and arms were resting against the top rope.
Before I could recover Cherry took me by the arm and whipped me across the ring to the ropes on the other side. When I came off I attempted a Cross Body Block and as my chest impacted against Cherry’s chest the tall woman caught me and stood her ground just as she had done in our previous match. As I was caught in Cherry’s clutches I found myself wishing I had gone for a dropkick instead.
With me in her clutches Cherry I was lifted high over her head as if I were being bench pressed before she quickly slammed me down to the canvas on my back. I bounced nicely as I landed hard at Cherry’s feet. Cherry played to the audience as she put her big foot on my chest in the first pin attempt of the match. The referee got to one before I was able to dislodge the foot on my chest and twist away from her onto my side.
The referee warned my tall assailant as she pulled me up by my hair with both hands. When I was on my feet Cherry sent me back down quickly with a clubbing forearm to my upper back before I was able fully get to my feet and stand on my own.
Cherry used my hair to get me up and then she kept holding on against the referee’s objections as she backed me up against the turnbuckles in the near corner. With the heel of her hand pushing my head back, Cherry sent a full wind up slap with her huge hand into the center of my chest while I was held trapped in the corner. The referee started counting as Cherry continued to hold me against the turnbuckles in the corner.
Cherry looked at the referee and fixed her hair as she strode out of the corner, only to turn quickly and back into me with her elbow at chest level. The ring shook as she drove the point of her elbow into my chest between my small firm and oh so cute little breasts. The referee started counting and instructed Cherry to let me off the ropes, and Cherry did just that by taking hold of my arm and whipping me across the ring to far corner but on my way to the center of the ring I stumbled as Cherry whipped me. Instead of going into the corner I went down on my belly and slid a quarter of the way across the ring as if I were sliding in to second base. I could not put on the brakes in time and slid head first under the bottom rope out to the ring apron and down to the hard floor below. The look on Cherry’s face told me that she did not intend that to happen but she was still happy with the outcome. This is one of the hazards of professional wrestling. Not everything goes as planned and injuries do happen on occasion.
I was up on my knees when Cherry left the ring at about the same spot where I slid out, but I was up and ran quickly to the other side of the ring where dove in under the bottom rope. I took a bad bump but was uninjured as I stood in the center of the ring watching my opponent outside. Cherry strode around the outside of the ring looking for a good place to reenter, but I stayed with her and forced her to come back in before the referee’s count got to ten. I stomped down on the back of my opponent as soon as the tall Potato Princess slid in under the bottom rope.
Now it was my turn to go on the attack. I grabbed onto Cherry’s hair and helped her up and then I pushed her back into the corner where I pelted her with a wicked backhanded chop to the upper part her chest. The shot made a sound that they could hear loud and clear at the back of the auditorium, and I could also hear Cherry’s vocalization as she took the impact. Cherry bent over and I was quick to straighten her up and deliver a second chop just below the area that her hands were guarding. Now it was my turn to taunt her and asked how it felt to be bitten by a mosquito. It was a rhetorical question that never received an answer.
While Cheery was catching her breath and rubbing her chest I ran to the far corner before turning and charging back at Cherry, but my plan failed as Cherry bent over and caught me before I was able to drive my forearm into her chest. Cherry stood up quickly with her shoulder buried in my belly and then sent me flying over her with a back-body drop. I must have looked like an acrobat as I flipped over Cherry’s back and caught the top rope with my hands. I was able to latch onto the top rope and pull myself into a position where I landed on my feet on the ring apron instead of tumbling to the floor below.
Cherry expected me to be on the floor and was surprised by me when she turned to look over the ropes and was greeted by my shoulder being rammed into her unguarded gut. Cherry stumbled away holding both hands across her tummy as I started to climb the ropes in the corner. Like a quick red headed squirrel I was up the ropes and was perched on the top turnbuckle waiting for Cherry to turn around. Cherry was smart though and did not turn, instead she turned her head just enough to see where I was before she got to her feet and then turned to face me. As I launched myself at the big woman she ran in toward the corner at me. This gave me no chance to adjust my flight path and I missed the drop kick attempt completely. I was able to get my feet down and land without incident, and then once had my feet under me I charged to the ropes at the far end of the ring.
Cherry had left the corner and was moving along the ropes as I came toward her. Instead of going for the dropkick, I lowered my shoulder and aimed it toward Cherry’s tummy, but Cherry back stepped and that moved the point of impact enough to lessen the damage, but this also allowed her to wrap her arms under my abdomen. Cherry tried twice to suplex me but both times I denied her by wrapping my left leg around right leg. Cherry changed tactics and gave up the suplex attempt as she raised her right arm over her head to deliver a clubbing blow to my upper back. The hard forearm sent me down to the canvas flat on my belly.
Dazed and winded I offered only slight resistance as Cherry pulled me up off the canvas by my hair. Once on my feet I was scooped up with one hand between my legs and the other around my throat as I was power slammed down onto my back in the center of the ring. Cherry was quick to kneel with a knee on each side of my head and her hand on my chest to attempt a pin. The referee was quick to start his count but once he got to two I kicked out, which Cherry took umbrage with and confronted the referee about a slow count. Cherry was putting on a good show for her fans that were constantly cheering for her.
After she finished jawing at the referee she turned her attention back to me and started her attack by stomping down on my right shoulder. I rolled and got to my knees holding my shoulder but Cherry moved with me as I tried to roll away and stomped down on me sending impulses of pain cascading up my spine to my brain. As I attempted to get up Cherry punted her foot into my chest sending me flipping over backwards onto my cute little butt near the ropes. Cherry took advantage of the situation and used her foot on my chest to bend me back over the middle rope as she tried to put as much her weight onto my chest as she could. Once positioned where she wanted me Cherry used her foot against my throat to push down hard while using the top rope for leverage. The referee called for the break upon noticing the blatant choke and use of the ropes but Cherry kept her foot in place until the referee’s count reached four.
Some of the crowd was turning against Cherry as she continued to use cheap shots and bend the rules just enough to avoid disqualification. I was out of breath and gasping for air as Cherry helped me up to my feet by my hair, and then she used her grip on my hair to shove my throat down against the top rope a few feet away from the turnbuckles. She held my hair just long enough to get her long heavy leg over the back of my neck so that she could use the back of her thigh to hold my throat in place against the top rope to cut off my supply of oxygen.
Once again, the referee recognized what Cherry was doing and started counting without issuing a warning. She broke the hold when the count reached four but she did not let I off the ropes. She took hold of my arm and dragged me into the near corner, where she paused for effect for a second before whipping me across the ring into the far corner. She whipped me with such force that the ring shook as my back impacted against the turnbuckles.
I hung limp in the corner with my arms hooked over the top rope trying to catch my breath and block out the pain in my back as Cherry charged in and gave me the big splash by ramming her body against mine. I was still upright in the corner with my arms over the top ropes holding me up as my legs gave out and my body started to slide down the turnbuckles until my pert little butt was resting on the bottom turnbuckle. Cherry wasted no time in taking me by the hair and tossing me out of the corner face first onto the canvas near the center of the ring.
Cherry moved beside me and used her foot to roll me over onto my back and then went for a lazy pin by putting her foot on my chest and posing over me. The referee got into position and started to count the pin. His count had passed two and was on his way to three and his hand was about ten inches from striking the canvas a third time awarding the match to Cherry when I mustered the strength to kick out and get my shoulder up to break the count. Cherry screamed at the referee, “That was three and you know it! Count faster next time!” Her protests drew a round of boos from those at ringside that could her bullying the referee.
I attempted to get up but I was winded and sluggish so once again Cherry had to help her up after she was done jaw jacking the referee. All of Cherry’s pin attempts had failed so she decided to go for a submission victory. She helped me up by the hair then pulled me across her back with my back across her shoulders. Once I was locked into the Torture Rack Cherry started applying more pressure by pulling on my legs and chin at the same time while causing great pain to my back and neck.
Cherry had me screaming as she increased the pressure and started to bounce me on her shoulders. The referee asked often if I wanted to submit but every time I was asked I shook my head as best I could even though my screams became almost continuous. There was a good possibility that I would lose this match too but I would never submit to the Potato Princess. I found myself wishing that this was a tag match so perhaps a yet unmet partner could run in there and rescue me, but sadly I was on my own against this midwestern golem.
It looked as if Cherry was beginning to tire as she continued to exert pressure on my back, and the longer I went without submitting, the more Cherry would prompt the referee to ask me if I wanted to submit. I think she was hoping for a quick ending, though she did not know that I had sworn to myself not to submit unless there is a real risk of serious injury.
When she could hold on no longer she dropped me off her back where I crashed down onto the canvas. I made a weak attempt to get a hand up between Cherry’s leg as if attempting to pull her backwards and roll her up for a sneaky pin but my arm wasn’t long enough and my hand was easily swatted away. At least I was showing Cherry that I was not done yet and that she was not going to get an easy win this time.
Cherry had to help me up again and when she did she picked me up and held my body to one side perpendicular to the canvas before dropping down to ram my back into the canvas with a Sidewalk Slam. Cherry was quick to go for a pin and the referee was right there to start the count. Once again, I kicked out at two and Cherry was visibly upset as she grabbed her head with both hands in frustration and yelled, “What the hell do I have to do to pin you!” The audience was eating it up that the big woman could not put the little Polish girl away.
I think that the crowd’s reaction was getting to Cherry as she looked out of the ring and yelled, “Shut up!” This had the crowd even more fired up so Cherry took out her frustration on me by goozling me around the neck with a tight choke hold as she lifted me up to a sitting position and then banged the back of my head down on the canvas. Even as my back was pressed against the canvas Cherry held onto the goozle even though the ref would not start counting the pin while she was choking me.
The referee was quick to start his count and when Cherry broke her choke hold at the count of four, the referee got down on his knees to see if I was injured and still breathing since I was slammed backwards so hard. I was ok and signaled such to the referee. Once he saw that I survived the choke slam he stood up as I rolled over onto my side away from my opponent while holding my aching head.
Cherry stood over me for a moment as it looked like she was thinking about what she could try next to put me away. When she figured it out she moved to my feet and took hold of my legs and lifted me off the canvas. Slowly as she started to spin the force of her spin lifted me higher into the air. Soon my body was off the canvas as Cherry increased the speed of her turns. She swung me around as if I were nothing more than a rag doll about ten to fifteen times before she released her grip on my ankles and tossed me to the canvas on my back.
Cherry was visibly dizzy from all of the spinning as she stumbled backward against the ropes. I was not feeling too good either and this was one of the times I was thankful that I had not eaten dinner before my match. I tried to assess the situation while attempting to compose myself and stop my head from spinning. I realized that while both of us were dizzy, I was in pain from all the abuse I had taken but I was breathing normally, Cherry was not. My opponent was sucking air in like she had just finished the Boston Marathon. This was a good sign for me if I could find a way to exploit the situation.
When I noticed Cherry turning her attention toward me again and moving in my direction I rolled in the opposite direction away from her toward the ropes and came up to my knees. Cherry looked as if she were drunk as she walked over to where I was attempting to get to my feet with the aid of the ropes. Cherry wavered a bit as she bent over in preparation of lifting me up to my feet. Cherry tried twice to get me up but the dizziness was still affecting her, so instead she just bent her right arm and dropped down quickly and rammed the point of her elbow in to the center of my chest.
After the elbow strike Cherry rolled on top of me with her back against my chest but she did not bother to hook a leg as she went for a lazy Back Press pin. As before the referee got to a two count before I managed to get a shoulder off the canvas breaking the pin. Cherry turned to the referee and held up three fingers, and the referee responded by getting down on one knee in front of her to hold up two fingers in front of her face as he yelled, “Two!”
Cherry was getting up and was mumbling something to the referee that I could not hear but it did not sound complimentary. I was sitting up as Cherry continued to jaw at the referee. I was having a tough time getting to my feet and this time Cherry did not help me up by my hair. Instead she made me expend my own energy to get up, and once I was up Cherry took a hold of my head and then quickly rammed her own head into my forehead. The powerful head butt sent me back down to the canvas on my back as Cherry stood over me for a few seconds composing herself before once again attempting a pin.
The referee got down near my head and began to count but only made it to two before I found the energy and will to kick out. Cherry looked like she was running out of options and decided to try for a submission again. She pulled me up and across her back but as she attempted to put me back in the Torture Rack I kicked my legs wildly and made it impossible for Cherry to control me while maintaining her balance. Cherry lost her grip and I slid harmlessly down her back until my feet safely hit the canvas.
I did not waste a second once my feet were on the canvas. I planted my left foot firmly, pivoted and used my right foot to send a kick into the back of Cherry’s right knee. Her knee buckled immediately and Cherry soon found herself down on her knees while I was running as fast as my battered body would permit towards the ropes. I took the slingshot off the ropes, left my feet and hit Cherry in the back of the head and shoulders with a dropkick that sent her face first down onto the canvas.
I dove on top of Cherry as she rolled over and went for a quick pin, but the big woman would not stay down past the count of two and kicked out. Cherry started to roll over onto her stomach in preparation of getting to her knees. I was quick to move to her feet, lift them up, placed her right leg behind her left knee, and stepped between Cherry’s legs to lock her left foot behind my right knee. Once I had her locked in to the Calf Crusher II dropped backwards onto my back while putting pressure on Cherry’s left knee as it was bent over her right ankle. Now it was Cherry’s turn to scream as I tortured her knee.
The referee asked Cherry if she wanted to submit and she screamed out a very definite no. I grabbed on to Cherry’s toe and pulled back for added leverage and Cherry screamed louder as the ligaments in her knee were being stretched. Now I started yelling at Cherry to give up and the referee asked again but Cherry was not in the mood to surrender to her smaller opponent.
I adjusted my position so that my back was against Cherry’s back and that allowed me to put more pressure on her knee at a new angle. Cherry started to drag herself and me toward the ropes with her hands and was making slow progress while I did everything that I could to ramp up the pressure in an effort to get Cherry to tap before she got to the ropes. I had her in the Calf Crusher hold for quite a while, which bought me some time to catch my breath and compose myself after having been on defense most of the match.
I was just too light in the weight department and was unable to keep Cherry from dragging us both to the ropes. Eventually she was able to get her hand on the bottom rope and looked to the referee for a call to break the hold. I kept the modified Calf Crusher on Cherry as long as I could before the referee got started his count that would force me to break the hold. I held on until he was close to counting to the disqualifying five. Now that Cherry was grounded I could go on the attack and I went right after her right knee after I released my hold. I was able to hit her with three quick stomps to the back of her knee as she did her best to crawl to the corner and move her leg out of range of my relentless assault.
I kept on her knee and punished it with kicks and stomps as Cherry made it to the corner and pulled herself up to kneel on one knee while supporting herself with her hand on the second rope. Cherry made it to her feet but was unable to put much pressure on her right knee. I made things worse by trying to drag her out of the corner by her left arm but she had a good hold of the top rope and was not going to comply. I changed tactics and sent a knife-edge chop into the center of her chest but that still did not persuade Cherry to let go of the top rope. I gave her left arm a hard tug but her right arm was still locked around the top rope.
I tricked Cherry into thinking that another chop was coming her way and when I pulled back my arm Cherry closed her eyes and steeled herself for the pending impact, but instead of a chop across the chest, she got my heel stomping down on the toes of her left foot. Cherry screamed and moved her left hand down to grab her left foot as the crowd was laughing at the Three Stooges style move that I had just used.
Cherry was forced to stand on her right leg with the injured knee, so I took off running to the far corner knowing that she would not be moving away quickly and then charged back at full speed toward her. When I got close to the corner I lowered my shoulder and rammed into her unprotected tummy. Cherry lost her balance and landed on her butt in the corner. I took off running again but this time when I returned I launched myself feet first toward Cherry and caught her in the chest with a dropkick.
Cherry clutched her chest and rolled out of the corner toward the center of the ring where she slumped into a kneeling position as she struggled to fill her lungs with air. I was quickly through the ropes and out to the ring apron and began climbing the turnbuckles. I waited for Cherry to get back up and when she did I launched myself at her but before I was able to straighten my legs out into position for the dropkick Cherry stood up and stepped toward me and raised her left leg as I descended, kicking me in the gut on my way down. I crashed into the canvas holding my tummy and attempting to roll out of the ring to catch my breath and ease the pain.
Cherry moved in on me faster than I thought that she should be able to move on her battered right leg but perhaps she was more durable than I had initially thought. She started stomping on my right arm and gave it three good shots before she grabbed onto the arm and stretched it out as she dropped onto her butt on the canvas. She extended her long legs and jammed her foot into my ribs and neck as she barred the arm while pulling hard with her grip on my wrist.
The referee asked if I wished to submit but I would not and refused loudly. Cherry kept loosening her legs and then extending them again to create a jerking motion on my arm and every time she did that she asked the ref to ask me if I wished to submit. I refused to give in and give up even though I was screaming loudly in pain. I was close enough to the ropes that all it took was a little bit of squirming and twisting before I could get my foot on the rope. Cherry was not pleased when she had to release her hold on my arm without my submission. She was quick to get up and take hold of my hair to get me up on my feet. Once she had me up she twisted my right arm behind me in a hammerlock and then shoved me hard into the corner so that my right shoulder slammed into the top turnbuckle.
Cherry was quick to move in on me and bend my right arm over the top rope, then with her right foot on my shoulder she began to pull and twist that arm around the top rope to increase the pressure while using her leg for leverage. I was screaming and the referee began counting quickly as Cherry used the rope against me. Cherry kept the pressure on until the referee’s count forced her to break the hold.
Cherry stepped back a bit to satisfy the referee then moved in on me again. Cherry bent over and grabbed on to my butt and lifted me effortlessly up and sat me down on the top turnbuckle. Cherry started to climb while I started pounding her with my left fist and forearm trying to stop her climb or disrupt her balance. My right arm seemed useless to me from where I was sitting and my failure to use my strongest arm confirmed what I had observed.
Cherry was not as nimble as me and was having a tough time absorbing the blows that she was receiving and eventually I was able to retreat off of the top turnbuckle to stand outside the ring with my feet on the second rope while continuing to pound on her head and neck. Cherry was starting to lean backwards and as she was struggling to stay up I took my right foot and locked it behind the second rope for stability before I nailed Cherry on the side of the head with a hard forearm smash. Cherry lost her balance and went over backwards but was kept from falling to the canvas by her foot still hooked in the ropes. She was hanging upside down in the Tree of Woe and struggling to pull herself up by her right hand on the top rope.
I freed my leg from the ropes and attempted to push off of the top turnbuckle with my feet and land with my knees on Cherry’s chest. I had seen others do this a few times and thought it might work for me but Cherry was still fighting to get upright and she lost her balance on the attempt. I missed my mark as she struggled to get out of the Tree of Woe and landed on my feet in the ring. I was still able to capitalize on my opponent’s misfortune by running to the far corner only to come charging back and launch a dropkick into Cherry’s right thigh. My feet hit right near the knee that was bent to support her in the Tree of Woe. Cherry screamed and clutched her right leg for a few seconds before renewing her efforts to escape the corner and the Tree of Woe.
Cherry was finally able to free herself with the assistance of the referee but at a price. Once her leg was free she crashed down on the canvas in the corner where she lay screaming and clutching her right leg. I was up quickly and moved to the far corner where I waited for Cherry to get up. The big woman was slow to get to her feet but when she did I charged at her before she turned around and when she did I lowered my shoulder and rammed it into Cherry’s gut. Cherry bent over and collapsed backward as her right knee gave out as she tried to stay upright.
I went for a quick cover, but Cherry was able to get her shoulder up before the count of three. I screamed and pounded the canvas twice and then made a slashing sign across my throat with my right thumb before I pulled Cherry up to her knees by her hair. I started peppering the right side of her head with a series of wicked forearm smashes. I finished up that barrage with a spinning back fist to the other side of Cherry’s head before I took off running for the ropes. I boomeranged off the ropes and came back toward Cherry with my arm outstretched and aimed for Cherry’s chest but she stood up and extended her long-left leg and I ran right into her foot having no time to stop or make a course correction.
Both of us went down from the collision but I took the worst of it as my chest impacted against the bottom of Cherry’s huge foot. Cherry took advantage of the situation and crawled over to me and plopped down chest to chest in a sloppy pin attempt. She was only able to hold me down for a count of two. Cherry was looking down at the canvas as she was shaking her head in disbelief. She moved her hands to her head as if in a confused state as she seemed to be trying to figure out what to do to me next.
Cherry got up and dragged me closer to the corner before gingerly climbing up until her feet were on the second rope. She held onto the top rope, bounced a few times and then dropped down with her bent knees aimed at my chest. As she descended I rolled out of the way at the last second leaving Cherry to hit nothing but canvas with her knees. Cherry stayed up and supported herself on her left knee while holding and attempting to give comfort to the right.
I was up quickly and on the attack. I lunged at Cherry and rammed my elbow down into her lower back as she was still bent over trying to soothe her knee. I was up on my feet quickly and moved around to Cherry’s side then launched my foot into the back of Cherry’s left leg, which she was using for support. Cherry was once again back down on the canvas and as she rolled away from me, I started climbing the ropes in the near corner.
I dove off the top turnbuckle and landed an elbow to the right side of Cherry’s chest and moved forward for a quick cover and pin attempt, but they were too close to the ropes and Cherry got one of her long legs onto the bottom rope before the referee could get into position to start the count. I got to my feet and made my way to the corner and as I climbed to the top turnbuckle I started to think that I had gone to the top too many times against this amazon with little success to show for my efforts. When I got to the top turnbuckle and turned around, Cherry had gotten to her feet and without warning I was dragged down off my perch by my hair.
It was not a pretty move and did not require much energy on Cherry’s part but it was enough to take the wind out of my sails as I crashed down onto my back in the center of the ring. Cherry collapsed nearby on her knees with a look on her face that told me that she was running out of steam, and probably was in some pain when it came to her right knee. The referee checked to see if I was injured and then went over to check on Cherry since she did not look so healthy or focused.
Even though I was taking my lumps at the hands of the Potato Princess, I was working my strategy perfectly which was to make the bigger woman expend energy in an effort to keep up with me, and soon Cherry’s lack of conditioning was beginning to show.
I noticed that Cherry was getting up slowly and I did not realize it at first but now she was holding her head as she attempted to sit up. I assumed that she had hit her head as well when she was pulled off the top turnbuckle. When Cherry got to her knees I made a quick retreat and rolled out of the ring under the bottom rope in an effort to buy some time to recover thinking that Cherry would not come out after her on account of her knees.
Cherry finally got up and limped her way over to the ropes just as the referee was getting to seven in his count on me. When he got to nine and was one count away from I being counted out Cherry slipped through the ropes and came after me on the outside of the ring. I suppose it was a matter of pride for Cherry not wanting to have to win over such a small opponent by count out. Once Cherry was outside the ring the referee started his count over at one as he was now counting for both of us to get back into the ring.
Cherry should have stayed in the ring because her knees were in such bad shape that she had to sit on the ring apron and slip off rather than jumping down or taking the steps on the side of the ring opposite the ramp. When Cherry limped her way over to me she took hold of my hair and started slamming her forearm and clenched fist down onto the center of my back. In desperation I was able to get a shot in as I nailed her under her chin with a European uppercut.
Cherry stood up holding her chin and working her jaw so that told me that I got in a good shot of own. The referee was warning both of us to get back into the ring and when we did not attempt to comply he continued his count. Cherry pulled me up by my hair and flung me over her shoulder like a sack of Idaho potatoes. Cherry carried me over and dropped me down hard on the carpeted ramp before walking around to where the ramp began and walked toward quickly toward me. As she got to where I had been deposited on the ramp I was getting up to my hands and knees.
Cherry snatched me up by the hair and was moving into a position where I could be suplexed onto the hard ramp below. I was resisting and was finally able to block the suplex attempt. The referee’s count was up to three as my feet landed harmlessly on the ramp. Once my feet were down I started clubbing Cherry alongside her head and neck with forearm smashes. Cherry was not fighting back and appeared to be dazed. I made a quick dash down the ramp and then came running back up the ramp in an attempt to spear my opponent but I ran into Cherry’s foot instead. The impact had me tumbling backwards clutching my chest.
The referee’s count was up to six as Cherry turned her back toward me and started limping toward the ropes. I got up to my knees and launched myself toward Cherry as she moved away from me and back toward the ring. I struck Cherry in the back of her right knee with my shoulder but Cherry was able to stay up by holding onto the top rope, though she was screaming and holding on to her knee with her free hand. She turned and limped toward me as I was down on the ramp and rolling to the bottom to avoid the approaching Cherry.
She tried to stomp on me but I was still rolling away and with one bad knee Cherry was not moving too fast as she stalked after me. The referee’s count got to eight by the time that both Cherry and I were at the bottom of the ramp, and this was when I got to my feet. I planted my left foot firmly on the ramp and sent a hooking kick to the back of Cherry’s right thigh. Cherry went down hard and as she hit the floor I made a mad dash for the ring as the referee’s count got to eight.
Cherry had rolled over and was pushing up to her knees while at the same time I was making a head first leap toward the space between the top and middle ropes. As the referee’s count hit nine I was through the ropes and crashing down on my belly while Cherry had failed at her first attempt to get to her feet after her right knee buckled and refused to support her. I came up to my feet behind the referee as his count hit ten before he turned to the time keeper’s table and called for the bell.
I had beaten the giant Potato Princess by count out. Unlike Cherry, I was proud to take a win by count out given the abuse that that I had taken along the way. So, when the next promoter takes a look at my record he or she will see only a win, not a win by count out and I was happy with that.
When Cherry finally was able to get to her feet she came into the ring with a look on her face that announced that she was pissed. I was quick to roll out of the ring on the opposite side and made my way to the dressing room while Cherry made her way over to the referee. As Cherry yelled at the him she held her hand up as if she was about to choke slam him. I was not sure if this was part of her heel act or not but she did seem serious. Eventually she calmed down and left the ring. I quickly collected my things and left the building in case she came after me. The last thing I needed was to get in trouble on a military base that was patrolled by people carrying machine guns. In addition, I really did not want to get my ass kicked by a raging potato amazon.
