[TessaTheRed]

Chapter 5 – Mariko, Just Among Friends.

Jaiya wanted to play to the crowd a bit longer, but after we exchanged bows, I politely backed away to the ropes and then ducked down and slid under them.  I was still a bit wobbly and thankfully that the referee was there to steady me and assist me during my walk back up the aisle to the locker room.  Along the way he confessed that when he had seen my size compared to Jaiya’s then combined that with the knowledge that this was only my fourth match he figured that this match would have lasted less than two minutes as she has a history of ending matches in short order with smaller women.

I thanked him for his kind words as he walked me to the locker room door.  When I entered the locker room, I once again got a standing ovation and a round of applause that was led by Shonta.  She told me that I was great tonight, but even though my mind was fuzzy and my brain was throbbing I asked her what about that little advice about not watching the matched that happened before yours.

One of the other girls spoke up and told me that when I was not back in the dressing room after five minutes Shonta and a few others peeked out to see if I was still alive.  Shonta interrupted and said that after ten minutes the locker room was empty and the whole team was up on the balcony watching my match.  Yet another girl added that they could not believe that I had almost taken her to the time limit and that they were so proud of me.  Shonta then asked if I was sure that I had to go back to Oklahoma and could not stay here with them.

The next match was being announced and Joy was the next wrestler up from our group and as she left, I hugged her and wished her luck.  She hugged me back and thanked me.  Slowly and cautiously I walked over to Shonta and asked if she could fix my back again.  She nodded and pointed me toward the table.  She said it was the least she could do after I put myself out there to save the group from taking a penalty.  I nodded then apologized for not getting the team any points tonight after the first two girls won their matches.

Shonta worked on my back and neck for about twenty minutes then told me that this was the best she could do and that I would probably be sore for a week or so after the abuse that was dished out to my back.  At least she assured me that nothing was seriously damaged, but then without an x-ray I was not convinced but I did not tell her that.  She also warned me about the bruise that had formed under my right eye.  She said that I would have one hell of a “shiner” by morning.  I did not know what that term meant but I took it to mean that I would have a black eye in the morning, and my assumption would prove correct.

He mentioned to her that William and I had dropped out of sight at the same time, but dropped the reference to William when he was seen in Bangkok and I was nowhere to be found.  At least he stopped connecting me to William.  I started talking to Mariko about some ideas that I had picked up down here, but I needed to find a division to join back in Thailand.  I asked if she would start looking for me while I was still in Australia.  She pointed over at the other team’s locker room entrance and there were two women standing there.  One was about Shonta’s size the other was perhaps a little taller than me but thinner with arms and legs that were a bit less developed than mine.  Shonta told me that the tall woman was her opponent for the next match, and the skinny blonde girl Doris was her little plaything that usually interferes in her matches.  Shonta apologized for asking me to do this but said that the only girls left in the locker room had matches later and she did not want to take a chance on one of them getting hurt and costing us 50 points by missing her match.

She knew I was pretty banged up and I was surprised that she was asking me for help.  I asked her what she wanted me to do.  Shonta said that she wanted me to keep the blonde out of her way.  If she climbs into the ring, I was to try to get between her and Shonta.  Therefore, she wanted me to be her bodyguard at ringside.  She said she would go it alone if I did not feel up to it.  Since I was already dressed, I told her, “Why not, I am still dressed to dance.”  She hugged me and thanked me just a few seconds before her opponent was introduced.

The ring announcer also introduced Doris by saying, “and accompanying Tammy to the ring…  Doris!”  The two of them got a little applause from the audience but they were not so thrilled with these two.  I heard that they were the heels of their division just as Shonta was the heel for ours.  When the two of them made it to the ring Tammy entered the ring while Doris stayed on the outside in Tammy’s corner.

When Shonta was announced the arena erupted in a chorus of boos, hisses, jeers and insults being thrown her way.  She was indeed the head heel in this arena, but suddenly when the ring announcer noticed that I was with her, he added, “and accompanying her to the ring Tessa!”  The booing stopped and the cheers began as the crowd rewarded me for my earlier performance.  As we got near the ring, I could read Tammy’s lips as she said back over her shoulder to Doris, “How the hell is she still standing?”  Doris just shook her head then climbed into the ring to stand with Tammy.

When Doris entered the ring Shonta motioned for me to join her in the ring also and as I ducked under the ropes, I felt a twinge of pain from my back but I still managed to smile and wave to the audience as I stood up straight and walked with Shonta.  I have no idea why she did it but as I was waving to the crowd Doris lowered her head and charged at me.  Lucky for me I caught her moving toward me out of the corner of my eye and I had just enough time to side step and launch a kick to the back of her legs that buckled them forward causing her to stumble face first into the turnbuckle behind me.  I looked at Shonta and asked, “You said that this was going to be an easy assignment?”

Just as she was about to answer Tammy charged at Shonta and took a hold of her hair.  I turned my attention back to Doris who had turned around and was heading toward me from the corner.  She was just about to me when the referee grabbed her by her top and spun her back into the corner, and then ordered the two of us out of the ring.  I moved to the ropes to exit but I was waiting for her to exit first but instead she broke free of the referee’s grasp and the next thing I knew she had her hand in my hair trying to pull my head toward her.  I reached for her hair and we were both in a contest to see who could throw the other down first by her hair.  Neither of us were gaining an advantage since the referee was now between us while Shonta and Tammy were involved in a slug fest in the center of the ring exchanging full on punches with each other.

Doris tried to throw a left hook at my head but I was able to pull the referee in front of me to take the blow on the side of his head.  It was then that the ring bell started ringing constantly as the event’s commissioner took the microphone and ordered the ring cleared.  Once he started talking the ring got quiet except for Doris who was whining to the referee that I had started all of this.  The commissioner looked at Doris and told her to, “Shut it!”  She immediately fell silent.

The commissioner ordered the two of us from the ring and as we hit the floor Doris came after me but there were two additional referees that came from the back to help settle things down.  Both of them got between us then we were separated while the commissioner started to speak again.  He announced that the scheduled match will continue in two minutes, and after that he is adding match an additional between Doris and me to settle our little dispute, but until this match was finished the two of us were banned from ringside.

Shonta looked down at me from her corner and I could see that she was concerned; I looked up and told her that I would find some way to get through it.  She apologized for getting me into another match but I told her not to worry, she does not look as bad as the last woman I was matched up with.  Shonta laughed and was about to say something when the bell rang for her to start her match to resume.  Our conversation was ended as the two referees escorted Doris and me back to our locker rooms.

Shonta’s match continued for about fifteen minutes.  The girls who were watching said that she could have finished her ten minutes earlier but Shonta kept her in the ring and played the heel while torturing her before finally making her submit.  When Shonta got back to the locker room she told me she did her best to drag it out to give me some time to compose myself and prepare for my second match of the evening.  She warned me that Doris is probably going to go after my back since she probably had a good long conversation with Jaiya back in her locker room.

Shonta offered me an out and said that I could decline the match but another girl in the locker room spoke up and said that if I did that it would cost them fifty points since the match was made by the commissioner.  I really could see no way out of this that would not lose face for me, and not cost my team fifty points.  As I was announced and began to walk the isle the fans were cheering but I was focusing on Doris who was already in the ring.  She stared at me and I stared back and as I looked at her with her long blonde hair, I pictured her as Sandra, and with that in mind I knew that I could survive this and at least cause her some pain if I could not get the win.

When I got to the ring apron, I attempted to pull myself up and as I reached for the ropes Doris ran to the ropes and was reaching for my hair.  As she reached out, I dropped down off the ring apron and reached under the bottom ropes to grab onto her ankles.  With a hard jerk her legs came toward me and she fell backwards onto her butt.  The moment her butt hit the canvas the bell was rung and the battle was on.  Since I still had control of her legs, I dragged her over a few feet to the nearest ring post and positioned one leg on either side of the post.  My back was protesting as I pulled her but I was able to focus on Doris and not on my aches and pains. 

She had her hands up and was pleading with me and shaking her head, but I was not going to be dissuaded by her words or actions.  With one hard pull I leaned back and used my legs against the ring post for leverage as I pulled her hard into the corner.  Her crotch impacted against the ring post as her face turned deep red while she howled in pain.  She dropped onto her back as she wiggled a little away from the post.  Her hands shot between her crotch in an attempt to massage away the pain.

The referee was warning me to let her go and get into the ring, but I was not done yet and he had not started to count.  I let go of her left leg and took hold of her right with both hands then with as much force as I could muster, I slammed her knee into the ring post.  Once again, a fresh round of screams echoed through the arena as the crowd behind me was chanting, “One more time!”  Who am I to begrudge the fans some extra carnage, so I gave them what they wanted.  I could tell now that Doris was close to tears and the referee’s warnings were getting more insistent but he still had not started counting.

I reached under the ropes and took hold of Doris’ other leg and pulled her a little closer then bent her right leg around the pole as I held her left leg straight.  I held her legs in a position that represented the figure four.  I lifted my right leg and placed my knee over her right ankle, then pulled her left leg into my crotch and with both of my hands holding her left leg I dropped my self backwards so that I hung on her legs with my head close to the arena floor.  My back exploded in pain and I screamed and at the same time Doris was screaming as I cinched in a Figure Four Leg Lock around the ring post.

The referee yelled one finial warning at me then started his count for the hold to be broken.  I started jerking on her leg to add more torque to the hold and each time I jerked she screamed louder.  I kept going until the referee got to two, but still I did not let go.  When he was about to say the number three, I released the hold and slid down her leg to lower myself gently to the floor.

She was in agony and the referee started a ten count and warned me to get in the ring or risk disqualification.  This time I was able to get up on the ring apron without a challenge from Doris so I took a few seconds to do a quick model’s turn and wave to the fans behind me that had been cheering the whole time I had been torturing Doris’ legs.

The referee ushered me back from the ropes and took me to the far corner to allow Doris to stand, but after several attempts the best she could do was get to her knees and even then, she was wincing in pain.  Finally, she used the ropes to pull herself up and was only able to stand up straight by holding herself up by the top rope.  When the referee was out of my way, I stalked her and as I got close, she used her free hand to give me the universal sign to stop.  She was shaking her head as she looked at me, but I was not about to stop as I needed to end this quickly just as Shonta suggested.

I closed the distance between us and when I was in range, I launched a kick toward the back of her left leg.  The top of my foot hit the back of her thigh and her leg buckled but she still stayed up.  She was begging, “Please stop!” as I launched a second kick into her thigh.  This time she fell to the canvas and was holding onto her leg.   The referee encouraged me to let her off of the ropes, so I did but just for a second.  As soon as the referee bent over and asked if she could continue, I grabbed onto both of her ankles and jerked her away from the ropes and into the center of the ring.

Just like I had done with Jaiya earlier I tucked her ankles under my armpits and rolled her over onto her stomach.  She was still pleading as I dropped her right leg and pulled back on her left.  I sat my butt down on hers and leaned back to put maximum pressure on her leg.  She tried to push up with her hands and crawl but each time she did I twisted her ankle and added to the pressure on her leg and lower back by leaning backwards.  The referee asked her if she wanted to submit, but she refused.  Upon hearing her refusal, I leaned back all the way until my back was laying on hers and her leg was wrenched back painfully.  She screamed and a second later I could hear her hand tapping the canvas.

The referee quickly tapped me on the shoulder and told me to release her, but I decided that I would wait for him to get close to three before dropping her leg and standing upright.  Before I walked away from her, I gave the back of her left thigh a good stomp before I moved to the center of the ring and bowed for my cheering fans.  Either I had won the crowd over or Doris was just as hated as her partner Tammy.

The referee was bent over tending to Doris when I decided to be a good sport and help her up.  I offered her my hand and she slapped it away as she came up to her knees.  I shrugged my shoulder and started to turn away from her when she spit at me.  I was tempted to turn back and give her leg another boot but decided that I would make my exit and call it a night after chalking up my second win verses three loses.  Being one win away from a .500 record brought a smile to my face.

As I walked up the aisle, I noticed Tammy giving me the evil eye but I also noticed that Shonta was standing at the end of the aisle so I knew that Tammy had had enough of Shonta for one night and was not about to attempt an attack on me.  When I got to where Shonta was standing she hugged me tightly and once again apologized, but thanked me for standing up for her team.  Next, she picked me up and carried me into the locker room where once again I received the applause from Shonta’s team. 

As Shonta set me down on the trainer’s table she told me that my match was quite impressive and that I would make a great heel someday the way I attacked Doris and used the count to my advantage.  I reminded Shonta that I had learned that little trick for her as she used it against me on several occasions during our match.

I took a long rest on the trainer’s table until I felt my muscles begin to stiffen up the way they always do once you relax after a hard workout.  I knew it was time to get out of my ring attire before someone else sends me back down to the ring on a mission.  I spent what seemed like an eternity under the hot spray from the shower.  When I exited the shower and dried off, I returned to my locker and found an envelope sticking in the side of the door next to the lock.  It was from the commissioner.

He apologized for putting me in a second match after what I had done during my first match but he confessed that he wanted to see me in the ring one more time before I went back to America.  He also stated that he knew that the fans would enjoy seeing me against someone close to my own size and experience level.  He went on to say that he did not know that I could be so vicious and that I would end the match so soon.  He complimented me on my style and said that if I am ever back in Sidney that I was always welcome to wrestle in his arena. 

On the back of the hand-written letter from the commissioner was a sticky note that asked me to join him and the others in the sponsor’s section with some of the other wrestlers.  The section, and aisle numbers were written on the note as well.  I dressed quickly and gave my hair a last go with the towel and headed down to the sponsor’s section wearing my favorite skinny jeans and a white Muay Thai t-shirt that depicted the various moves of the sport on the front.

I found the sponsor’s section and looked for a seat.  There were several of the wrestlers there that I knew along with Shonta and Jaiya who were sitting close to one another.  I waved as I settled down in one of the seats to watch the match in progress.  A few of the girls sitting near me introduced themselves.  Some were from Shonta’s group, and other were from the opposing team, but now that our matches were over for the night, we all sat and talked as friends.  We compared notes about our matches and the one that we were currently watching.  We talked of our experiences and ways we trained.  Everything was going well until Doris and Tammy arrived. 

Tammy waved to me but Doris looked at me as if she wanted to kill me, and then she hobbled toward me as if she was going to try.  The whole section turned their attention to Doris who was about to attack me in front of the commissioners and the other sponsors.  Tammy stopped her by grabbing her hair and jerking her head back.  In a menacing voice she told her to sit down as she shoved her into a seat.  Doris protested, but Tammy was firm and told her, “She kicked your ass, deal with it!”  That got the sponsor’s section laughing loudly as Doris’ face turned an embarrassed shade of red.

The woman I was sitting next to was Samantha, but she was a bit on the butch side and preferred to be called Sam.   She was close to my height, maybe an inch or two taller but it was hard to tell with her sitting down in a dark arena.  She looked pretty rugged with her close-cut hair, and her black sleeveless shirt that showed off her strong looking but not overly muscular arms, along with her medium sized breasts as it was stretched tightly across her chest.  She also wore straight-legged jeans that were tucked into her near knee-high motorcycle boots.  Her face had a bit of a tomboy look to it, but even though she was not totally feminine, she was pretty.  I never asked her age but I would have guessed her to be in her middle to late twenties.

On Friday two of the other divisions in the Sidney division were having an event that had six matches on the card, Shonta and I went to watch the matches since Elena was not in the mood to go out.  While we watched the matches, we were sitting in a section reserved for wrestlers from the two groups that were matched up for the evening.  One of Shonta’s friends got us into the reserved section.  During one of the matches Shonta mentioned to one of her friends about the match that we had and she asked if I wanted to get into the ring with her tonight.  She offered to get me on the card, but I had to pass since my back was still a mess.  Shonta backed me up on the back issue and told her that I took quite a bit of abuse in two matches with her and Jaiya.  The other woman said, “Ouch!  That was a tough welcome to Australia.”

On Saturday morning it was time to return home, Shonta drove me to the airport.  She thanked me for the match, and I thanked her for letting me stay with them while I was here.  I extended my invitation one again for her and Elena and any of her friends from the group to come visit Oklahoma if they ever got the chance.

I parted company with Shonta and made my way to the check in counter.  Along the way I met up with Mariko.  She was one of the participants in the two wrestling events that I had taken part in though we never crossed paths being that our matches were scheduled at times when I was in the ring or in the locker room.  Mariko had seen my first match and made it a point to take in my second match.  As we stood in line, she introduced herself and congratulated me on standing up well against to of the most dominant in the Australian wrestlers in the alliance.

We had a good long talk before we got to the counter and when we did, we changed our seats so that we could sit together on our flight from Sydney to Narita, Japan.  From Narita I had a connecting flight through Chicago but when we got to Narita, I changed the date of my flight back to the states.  During our inflight conversation Mariko and I discussed our budding wrestling careers.   Mariko and I were about the same size though she had a few more pounds of muscle packed on her 5’3” frame than I did.  She also had a few more years of experience than I did.  She caught me totally by surprise when she asked me if I would be interested in being her tag team partner.

Mariko considered herself a tag team specialist and was listed as such in the wrestling websites in Japan.  From the reviews that I read on the plane as we talked Mariko and her partner, we quite good and were listed and an up and coming tag team that would one day hold the championship belts.  Unfortunately for Mariko, her partner tore her ACL and even though her knee was surgically repaired she decided to retire and marry the surgeon that put her knee back together.  This left Mariko without a partner, and from my observation she was desperate to find a replacement.  I just had to ask her how desperate she had become to ask me, a rookie wrestler with a grand record of two wins and three loses.  When the conversation turned to my qualifications, or lack thereof, Mariko explained how she had watched my two matches and recognized my style.  From the way I moved about the ring and attacked my opponents she could tell that I had trained in Japan at one point in my short wrestling career.  To confirm her theory on my training she switched our conversation from English to Japanese and when the change occurred, I was able to keep up my end of the conversation quite well though not perfectly.  I had only lived in Japan for six years which was enough to become proficient in the language but it was not enough to become perfect.

The conversation turned to the logistics of the two of us entering a partnership.  She was Japanese and living in Japan while I was deeply entrenched in my university studies in Oklahoma.  Mariko convinced me to take another week off from college and spend a week in Japan with her to see if we’d be compatible.  Upon our landing at Narita I sent a quick email to Professor William Shelton to see if he could make arrangements for me to take my classes from the university’s online program while I work out a few things in Japan.

The professor was not thrilled that I was abandoning him as my sponsor, but he understood that I had lived in Japan and that I had trained there.  William knew what an attraction that this offer was for me and he reluctantly agreed to release me from his service and that he would take care of getting me set up for online classes so I could continue my studies while Mariko and I figured out what our future together would be. 

Our first stop after we got our bags and left the airport was at Mariko’s one-bedroom apartment in Shinjuku.  Her apartment was similar to most in Japan, small and cramped.  Mariko gave me the option of bunking with her or sleeping on her futon sofa in the common area.  Not knowing Mariko that well I elected to camp out on the futon until we got things sorted out.  Mariko was cute, and well built for a Japanese girl of twenty-two.  I was not sure of her sexual preference but I knew min and even though I had experimented with bi sexuality I was not looking for a relationship, this is why I picked futon first off.

We took a few days to get to know each other.  On one of those days we made a trip to Korakuen Hall in the Bunkyo, district of Tokyo.  This is one of the hallowed halls of wrestling in Japan.  Ever since my father was stationed in Japan, I had dreams of wrestling there.  This was not my first trip to this shrine of wrestling but it was my first trip since becoming a professional.  I had a wonderful time with Mariko and we bonded quickly.  Some of that bonding came when a foe from her past confronted her about some indiscretion from their past.  The confrontation was compounded by her foe’s occasional tag team partner and lover got involved as well.  I stepped up to keep the other girl away from the verbal altercation that was going on a few feet away from us.  The confrontation ended when a tag team challenge was issued.  Though it was unofficial at that point the challenge had been issued and accepted and I found myself considering the possibility of being in my first ever tag team match with a partner that I had never teamed with before.  I had my reservations but having a record of two and three I decided to go along with it since I really had nothing to lose.
I take back that statement that I had nothing to lose, as I soon realized that I had a lot to lose.  This was going to be a grudge match and I had never been involved in anything that involved two wrestlers that truly hated each other.  I kept my reservations to myself and did my best to support Mariko as a potential tag team partner and new friend would do.  So far, I had had my butt kicked in four out of my five matches, so what’s one more ass kicking between friends?


Speaking of ass kicking and being a professional wrestler in Japan, even though I was credentialed in Japan the promoter that we were working with on the tag team match insisted on my having a dark match at one of his shows so that he could assess my talent level.  He also insisted that my first adult match in Japan be against my intended new tag team partner.  His reasons for our match was simple, he wanted to see if our styles were compatible and suggested that how we work against each other would speak volumes on how we would work together as a tag team.  I wasn’t sure that I bought all of that and I suspected that the other team put the promoter up to this so that we’d tear each other up and give them an advantage over us.  Mariko assured me that this was not the case but I still kept the thought in the back of my head.

We began paying our dues in the world of Japanese wrestlers by working as ring girls.  Our job was to take care of the wrestlers when things came outside the ring.  We would usher the audience out of the way when the battle came toward them since there were no physical barriers between the ring area and the spectators.  We would also tend to the wrestlers while they were outside the ring.  We’d offer them water and support, and at times we would spray their injuries down with a numbing spray that allowed them to return to the ring to continue the match.  One of the matches that we were assigned to had Mariko’s rival facing another up and coming wrestler.  When she was thrown outside the ring instead of helping her Mariko began kicking and stomping her until a few of her foe’s allies came to her aid.  Of course, I joined in and got in a few stomps of my own.  This only strengthened the bond between Mariko and myself and helped the promoter by giving him some footage to illustrate the bad blood between our two teams.

During the week leading up to our match together Mariko and I worked out together at the dojo where she trained.  Eventually I would sign up and get my own membership once I got settled in and made enough money from my wrestling and working as a ring attendant.  We worked on many things to prepare for our match as we both wanted to put on the best match possible, though we agreed that nothing would be scripted and that we would go at each other as if we were perfect strangers. 

I was at a disadvantage being that Mariko was more experienced and in better physical shape than me being that she was much stronger.  Another advantage she had was that she had seen me in action so she knew what to expect.  For this reason, I held back using my kickboxing skills so that she would not expect me to be a proficient striker should the need arise.  The night of our last workout we both promised each other that our match would be an all-out affair with both of us trying to win at any cost.  We were going to do this match for ourselves and the spectators to prove that we were better than the dark match status that we had been relegated to.

On the night of the event Mariko and I packed our wrestling gear in our backpacks, and took a taxi to Itigaya Ice Box.   The event was being held by Ice Ribbon, and even though we were not associated with that promotion they still booked us as a dark match to open the evening.  We arrived at the arena early and had some time before we had to.  We had the run of the arena.  We made use of our passes and went down to the ring area to check it out beforehand.  They would not allow us in the ring but we were able to walk around on the floor outside. 

After our tour of the ring we took a few selfies before we went into the back to change into our wrestling attire.  Many of the other girls on the card that night were already in the process of getting changed when we entered the locker room.  I had a few more outfits to choose from since I went shopping with Shonta in Australia but for some reason I just had to go with the sexy purple and black outfit that I wore in my match against Shonta.  Mariko chose to wear a red halter top and matching shorts similar in style to mine, but on top of the shorts she wore a lacy red semi skirt that she says she likes to wear so that the guys in the front row cannot get a good look at her butt or her camel toe.  To complete her ensemble, she wore matching red boots and kneepads.

When they assigned locker rooms, they separated the girls that were going against each other but Mariko said that this was not a rule that we had to change separately, it was more like guidelines so she and I changed together.  Mariko thought it best to stay together and watch each other’s back in case someone that she had pissed off came to cause a little pre match trouble.  Lately it seemed as if it were the two of us against the world so we did our best to look after each other.

The wrestling card featured the top girls in the league as the promoters and agents only put their best girls in on the card on big nights like this.  I was the exception but since my match against Mariko was a dark match the promoters had little or nothing to lose.  I got a few looks from the other girls that gave me the feeling that they were wondering who I was and why I was here since I was an unknown in this league.  Mariko introduced me to a few of the girls that she was close with here, though she did not exactly call them friends.  They seemed nice enough being that they were mostly Japanese, and only a few were gaijin like myself.   When it was time for our match Mariko and I hugged each other tightly and wished each other luck.  Mariko had to make a dash to the door of the other locker room because that is where the spotlight operator was expecting her to enter from.

I was introduced first being the rookie.  The announcer got my height correct at 5’3”, but announced my weight as 110 instead of 115.  I had a wicked thought of power bombing Mariko onto the announcer’s table and spilling his beer in the process as I made my way down the aisle to the ring.  I got a tepid response from the crowd as only a handful of people there knew me, but others were kind enough to clap for me and one “gentleman” was kind enough to yell, “Nice ass red!” as I passed by.  I have to admit that the “nice ass” comment helped release the butterflies in my stomach as I had a little laugh.

Once I was in the ring it was Mariko’s turn to enter.  She was announced as being 5’3” and 117 pounds, but I knew that weight was wrong since I had seen her on the scale and the reading was 127.  She had packed on more muscle since the announced weight was recorded.  The final announcement was that this was a one-fall match with a twenty-minute time limit.  Once the announcement was complete her entrance music started to play and this got me to thinking that I needed some entrance music of my own.  Mariko’s entrance music was the very upbeat Suki Sugite Baka Mitai by Def Diva which fit her personality quite well.

Mariko got a loud welcoming from the crowd as she was one of up and coming wrestlers in the league and had been around for a few years.  When Mariko climbed through the ropes, she smiled at me before she walked around the ropes waving to her fans that were still cheering and whistling for her.  When the cheers died down Mariko went to her corner opposite mine and waited for the referee.  This time we were lucky enough to have a female referee so I figured that I would not get groped during the customary foreign objects check.

She checked me for foreign objects, though Mariko says that no one brings such things into the ring here.  Next it was Mariko’s turn to get checked over.  Once the checking was complete, we both came to the center of the ring and shook hands cautiously.  I figured that Mariko would not try to sneak attack me before the bell but I did not take the chance since we both knew that we had to be different tonight than we normally were in training.

We both retreated to our corners before the referee called for the bell.  When the bell sounded, we came out toward the center of the ring.  I thought that I would give her something to think about so I went with what I do best and launched a halfhearted kick toward her.  She backed up quickly then smiled at me, and I smiled back.  The last thing I wanted to do was play into her strength. 

We circled each other a few times, both of us with big smiles on our faces.  From looking at her I could see that she was happy to be here and so was I.  As we moved around the ring some of the fans in a particular section started chanting her name, and as they chanted, I thought maybe I would have an opening so I tried another kick but this time I put everything into it.  I thought she might try to block me but instead she once again stepped back out of range. 

We made a half circle of the ring and then Mariko put up her hand for a test of strength.  I laughed and shook my head but she challenged me verbally before her friends started chanting her name again.  I thought about it and then moved in cautiously with my hand raised.  While she was looking at my hand, I sent a full powered kick into the back of her left thigh.  Her mouth fell open and she yelled, “Shit!” as she took a half step backwards.

I moved in and got in a second kick, then followed up with a third that was more of a glancing blow as she had moved backwards again.  I tried to get a fourth kick in as I moved in toward her but this time, she side stepped and grabbed my leg and tucked it in under her arm.  While I was standing there on one leg, I was expecting her to sweep my standing leg out from under me but instead she bent her right elbow, raised her arm high then brought the point of her elbow crashing down into the center of my thigh.  This time it was my turn to scream as she easily hit the muscle with her blow.

Mariko released my leg and I stepped gingerly but as soon as I took a step she had latched onto my wrist and was twisting it painfully.  I rolled out and escaped then attempted to capture her arm, she escaped and attempted a hammerlock.  This went on for a while with neither of us gaining an advantage since we had done this drill many times in our training sessions.  Once she finally secured a hammerlock on me, Mariko turned me toward her and transitioned from the hammerlock to and headlock as she pulled my head under her arm while my shoulder was pressed against her flat tummy.

I started backing toward the rope as her strong arms were putting a hurting on my neck.  When I was just about to back into the ropes, she released the headlock, hooked my arm and sent me flying over her with a quick hip toss.  I landed on the canvas with a thud and as soon as I hit, I rolled away from her and came quickly to my feet.  Mariko was already moving toward me when I stood to face her.  As she came toward me, I hooked her arm and took her down the same way she had done to me a few seconds before.  She bounced on the canvas and like me she quickly got to her feet.  The action over the last few minutes was fast and furious and when Mariko came to her feet, we stared at each other and smiled.  This is when the audience started clapping for the both of us.  At least I took it that way.

We circled each other as the applause died down and I had a feeling that things were about to get serious but I wanted to have a little fun.  Ok, I wanted to try to get into her head so I looked at her and raised my hand as if I wanted to try the test of strength again.  I knew she would not take me seriously since I would be playing into her strength.  She looked out over the audience as if asking, “What should I do?”  They started chanting her name again and she went for it.  I was surprised that she did but soon I found my fingers entwined with hers.  She was soon using her weight and strength advantage over me to bent my fingers back and push me down.  I did my best to resist as she started to push my arms out to the side and then down with the goal of getting our hands in front of us so she could bend my wrists back painfully.  Of course, with her strength it was easy for her to do that to me and soon I had noises coming out of my mouth that announced my pain.

I kept struggling to reverse this but I was out muscled in this contest, though a few times I almost reversed it but mostly for me this was an exercise in futility.  Finally, I was able to get some separation between our arms and brought my left leg up between us and kicked downward with my heel against her right wrist.  Mariko quickly broke the hold and once again went for a wristlock.  We found ourselves exchanging various arm holds with neither of us gaining an advantage.

As we exchanged holds, Mariko got a hold of both of my wrists and pulled me sharply toward her.  I was not sure what she had in mind but as she pulled, she stepped back backwards and pulled me off balance.  She kept pulling until I landed on the ground at her feet.  She still had a hold on my hands but I was able to get rolled over onto my back but this put my hands in a crossed position over my chest with her bent over me.  When I noticed her position, I brought my left leg up sharply and caught her on the top of her head with the top of my foot.  I did it a second time and the second kick caused her to release my arms and grab the top of her head.

I got up while Mariko was a bit disoriented and hooked her arm and rolled her over my hip again, hip tossing her hard to the canvas.  When she got to her knees, I was waiting for her after having backed up to the corner.  When she got to her feet and looked in my direction, I was already airborne with my feet aiming for the center of her chest.  I hurtled toward her and my feet impacted with her chest.  My dropkick sent her tumbling over backwards as I crashed down to the canvas with her.

She ended up with her back in the corner and as she was getting up, I rushed to her right side and sent the top of my foot arching into her chest.  I heard the air rush out of her lungs after the first kick so I sent in three more before the referee ordered me to let her out of the corner.  Slowly I backed away and kept a close eye on my new friend.  Her mouth hung open as she gasped for air and as the referee bent down to check on her I moved in and gave her one more kick.  The referee was not pleased and she ordered me to back away and started counting.

I really felt bad doing this to my new friend but I knew that if the situation were reversed, she would do the same to me as we discussed this while we were training for this match.  After the referee checked her out, I moved toward the corner and helped her out of the corner by taking hold of her hair and pulling hard.  She slowly got to her feet and once she was standing, I let go of her hair with my right hand and then wrapped my right arm under her chin while my left still held her hair.  I swiveled my butt in against her lower belly and tossed her over my back with a quick Snap Mare.  When she hit the canvas, I still had a death grip on her hair. 

I released her hair and stood up and as I got to my feet she sat up.  Seeing that she was sitting I moved in and sent two quick kicks to the small of her back.  This was the first time that I heard my new friend cry out in pain and I felt so guilty that I did not want to do it again.  I decided to change tactics and go for a quick submission.  With Mariko in a sitting position I stood behind her and wrapped my bent right leg over hour right shoulder and positioned my bent knee in front of her throat.  With my right leg in position I let myself fall backwards as I brought up my left leg and placed my bent knee over my right ankle and locked in a Figure Four Head Scissors.

With both of us on the ground I was able to bridge up with my extended arms to add more pressure to her neck as it bent forward and made it more difficult for her to breathe.  The referee was quick to dive down beside Mariko and ask if she wanted to submit.  She could not talk but she quickly got her hand up and made a motion as if to say no, she does not.

She was kicking her feet and moving as if she was trying to roll us both over and I had to spread my arms a bit wider to give myself a better base to resist her movements.  Her next attempt at an escape was to use her powerful arms to try to spread my legs, but as she started doing that I began bucking with my hips, which jostled her neck in an attempt to disorient her and stop her escape attempt.  The referee once again asked if she wanted to submit and the replay was the same arm movement as before.  This is when a few of the audience members started chanting her name and soon the chant had spread throughout the arena.  While I was trying to make my new friend submit, but at the same time I was proud of her that she had gained such loyalty from the fans.  I only hoped that one day they would be cheering for me that way as well.

While I was distracted by my thoughts on the fans Mariko had spread her powerful legs, shifted her weight and rolled us over.  She was still trapped in my Figure Four, only that we were in a different position with me on my knees over her.  She shocked the hell out of me when she grabbed my legs just above the knees and with her muscular arms and legs she began pushing up until my knees came off the ground.  Once my knees were about six inches off the canvas, she would drop me and my knees would hit hard.

After a few bounces my hold was beginning to weaken.  When she lifted up the next time, I spread my arms and used my better leverage to roll her over back into our original position.  Once again, the referee was asking if she wished to submit and once again the answer was the same.  After she indicated that she did not want to submit I bridged up again to increase the pressure on her neck.  I was hoping that if she did not submit that at least this hold would wear her down a bit to give me a better chance against her.

She tried a few different things to escape but I was able to hold on until she spread her legs again and rolled me over onto my stomach.  This time she put her hands behind my thighs and shoved while at the same time she leaned back and pulled her head from my weakened hold.  I thought that she would stand up and move away but instead she used the position that my legs were already in and used her hands and her weight to shove my crossed ankles forward to put pressure on my knees.

This time it was me in pain as she put as much of her strength and weight behind her arms as Mariko pushed forward on my feet and ankles.  The referee was quickly in front of me asking if I wanted to submit.  Of course, I told her no.  Mariko held me in that hold for some time, and she used that time to catch her breath and after a while she released my ankles, stood over me and stomped her foot down onto my lower back.  I had a bad feeling that like Shonta and Jaiya, she was going to target my back.

When I sat up holding onto my lower back Mariko helped me up with her fingers twisted deep into my red hair.  Once I was on my feet, she dragged me to the corner and shoved me in back first.  Mariko stepped in front of me with both hands holding my hair tightly and then she began to twist my hair with both of her hands.  My scalp was burning and soon the referee was warning Mariko about using the hair.  She wound my hair up three more times before the referee began her five count.  When the referee got close to counting to five Mariko used her grip on my hair to toss me over her shoulder with a quick snap.  I went flying through the air as she bent forward and came to rest on my back with a loud thud.

Her throw was so powerful that I bounced twice and ended up in the far corner with my back to the turnbuckles.  I was gasping for air as my hands were trying to massage the pain out of my burning scalp.  This is when I realized that Mariko was much more vicious than I thought she was, but I also realized that she was much more experienced and was using moves against me that we had never used in training just as I was trying to do the same to her.

I had not even attempted to get to my feet yet when Mariko had her hands in my hair and was yanking me up to my feet.  The referee warned her about using the hair but she would not maintain her grip long as she slung me over her shoulder a second time as she had just done a few seconds earlier.  I hit and bounced hard, and before I knew it Mariko was on me again and was pulling me to my feet by my hair.  Once I was standing, she used my hair to flip me over her hip back down to the canvas.  As this continued, I found that my back and my butt were taking most of the abuse from being tossed around like this.

I was winded and slow getting up, but as I started to sit up Mariko came running at me from off the ropes and launched a dropkick to my forehead that sent me back down to the canvas.  I honestly believe that she had thought that my chest would have been where my head was but I was too slow in sitting up and got nailed in the head.

I saw stars for a moment as I lay on my back looking up at the lights in the ceiling, and as I lay there holding my head Mariko was pouncing on top of me for a quick pin.  The referee dove in next to me and began her three count.  She got to two when I came to my senses and kicked out as she got to three. 

Before I could get up Mariko was behind me now and was dragging me toward the center of the ring by my hair.  The referee warned her again but before she could finish her warning Mariko was behind me standing over me with her legs on either side of my hips.  One by one she draped my arms over her legs before she sat back and took my chin in her hands.  She extended her arms and leaned back putting pressure on my neck and lower back with a Camel Clutch hold.  I tried to scream but her hands gripping my jaw muffled my screams.  The referee bent down and asked if I wanted to submit.  Of course, I did my best to indicate that I did not.

She grunted loudly as she used her strong arms to pull back harder on my jaw and as she leaned back, my back was bent at a severe angle that it was never designed to be bent in.  My eyes were closed as she ratcheted up the pressure and soon, I was kicking my legs and hammering the canvas with my feet as the pain increased.

She began playing with me now; she released my chin and started twisting my red hair until my scalp began to burn.  I knew why she was doing this, she was just trying to keep up her reputation and was playing to her fans.  I made a note of this and silently vowed revenge against my new friend for doing this.  This also worked to my advantage since she let go of my jaw, I had a little room to work and I started wiggling and kicking my legs in an attempt to get to the ropes. 

My attempt worked in a way but failed in another.  Mariko released my hair and then while sitting on my butt she swiveled so that she was facing my feet.  In her new position she took hold of my feet, bent my legs at the knee, crossed my ankles and began pulling my feet toward her locking me in a Clover Leaf.  She leaned back hard and fast and soon my legs were aching as her back was now resting on mine and her weight was pressing my chest down onto the canvas.

She pulled so hard that my bent knees started coming off the canvas and the pain in my knees and lower back was almost unbearable and I was considering tapping out.  The referee was down in front of me quickly and was asking if I wanted to submit.  In between screams I told her no I did not want to submit.

I started digging my nails into the canvas and pulling hard.  Slowly I was making progress and had us inching toward the ropes.  It was a monumental task pulling my weight and hers toward the ropes but in her position, she was having a hard time resisting me as I pulled us along.  It took a minute or so but I found myself close enough to get my hand on the bottom rope, and quickly the referee was calling for Mariko to break the hold.

A few of the fans at ringside began to clap as a reward for my effort, however, Mariko rewarded my effort by stomping her foot down on the center of my lower back.  Her stomp sent a wave of pain cascading up my spine to my brain, which elicited a scream from my mouth.  Before I could get up her hands were once again in my hair and she was pulling me up and dragging me to the far corner.  When she got me where she wanted me, she used her powerful arms with a two-handed grip on my hair to slam my head into the top turnbuckle.

I just hung there in the corner with my arms stretched lifeless over the top ropes as my head was throbbing with pain.  When I was able to turn around, I was immediately clubbed in the chest by a forearm smash from Mariko.  The air gushed from my lungs from the mighty impact of her heavy arm.  I knew I had to do something quick as I was on the losing end of a major beating, but Mariko did not give me time to plot or plan.  My veteran friend soon took hold of my left arm and began the process of whipping me across the ring into the far ring post, but I was able to put on the brakes and reverse her whip.

Instead Mariko was unexpectedly sailing toward the corner and when she turned and her back hit the turnbuckles, I took off on a run as quickly as my battered little body could move me.  When she looked up, I had already left my feet and was hurtling toward her.  My dropkick was a success and my feet mashed her beautiful firm breasts against her rib cage.  I was hoping that they were real and not silicone or she would have to go in for a repair.  Actually, I knew they were real.

I took advantage of the surprised look on Mariko’s face and acted before she could.  I took hold of her arm and whipped her across the ring into the far corner, and like before her back impacted first.  I was following her closely and I was tempted to go for the drop kick again but instead I stayed with her and after she impacted against the turnbuckles, I extended my bent elbow and turned to back into the corner as well with my elbow smashing into her chest just above her left breast.

Mariko stumbled out of the corner but still on her feet.  I watched her heading for the center of the ring so I took off running toward the ropes and came spring boarding off to send another dropkick to the center of her chest.  My aim was a bit off but it still took her down. 

Now it was her turn to be breathing heavy while I was doing better than her at catching my breath.  Mariko started to sit up but I took hold of her hair and helped her up to her feet in a crouching position.  While she was bent over, I hooked my right leg over her left leg and locked my foot behind her lower leg just below the knee.  Mariko started to move but she was not fast enough as I use my grip on her hair to pull myself across her back while hooking my left leg over the back of her neck.  As I bent my leg and pushed her head to the side by bending her neck I reached for her right arm and began pulling it back sharply.  Before she started to scream, I heard her ask, “What the hell is this?”

I tried my best not to giggle before I grunted out the name, “Octopus” before I started banging my right elbow into the side of her exposed torso.  In between her screams and my grunts as I kept pulling back on her arm as hard as I could I told her that it was a little present for her from Japan.  It did not take long for the referee to make her way over and ask Mariko if she wanted to submit.

I was having fun holding my friend in the Octopus, but while I was congratulating myself, I forgot about her strength.  Even though I was pulling back on her arm with my arm, I learned that I would need two of my arms to match one of hers.  Soon I heard a loud grunt from Mariko right before I found myself flying over her back to crash on the canvas as she quickly flipped me with one arm.

As Mariko walked around the ring trying to rub the feeling back into her arms her fans were cheering her effort at getting out of my hold, but the pained look on her face told me that at least I scored a few points with that hold.  Before I got back to my feet, I pounded my fists into the canvas in frustration.  Actually, it was more for the fans benefit than mine.

Mariko was still walking around the ring and when I got to my feet, her back was towards me.  I moved toward her and when Mariko turned around, I caught her in the chest with a hard forearm smash that startled her.  I followed up with a second, and third smash and soon I had driven her back to the ropes.  I continued pounding on her chest until the referee’s count got close to three, and then I stopped and backed away as she ordered.

I moved in with the intention to whip her across the ring but she surprised me by slipping her hand between my legs and scooping me up.  Before I had a chance to react, she continued her lifting motion and then she held me high and slammed me down to the canvas.  I bounced several times before she dove on top of me and tried for a pin.  At the count of two I kicked out.

She was faster at getting to her feet than I was since her body slam knocked the wind out of me.  Before I could get up, she was kicking the toe of her boot into my lower back.  My back was hurting bad from her kick but I knew I had to get up.  Mariko moved in again and tried to kick me but I was just able to move to the side enough that she missed.

When I got to my feet, she was waiting for me and clubbed me in the chest with her forearm that staggered me backwards into the near corner.  She followed me in and clubbed my chest again as the referee warned her to let me out of the corner. 

She tried to assist me out of the corner with an attempt to whip me across the ring to the opposite corner but I put on the brakes as I had before and reversed her whip attempt.  She too put on the brakes and attempted to whip me again.  The last time I put on the brakes did not work out too well for me since she kept a hold of my arm and pulled me towards her and then hit me with a clothesline across the throat that caused me to stagger backwards into the near corner. 

While I was in the corner trying to catch my breath, Mariko had already run to the far corner and was coming back at me feet first with a dropkick that had her feet slamming into my chest while my back had nowhere to go.  One turnbuckle at a time I slide down to my butt in the corner with my hands resting on the middle rope.  As I was struggling to catch my breath and pull myself to my feet, Mariko was already in the air with a second drop kick aimed at my perky little breasts.  The impact stopped my attempt to get back up and sent me winded back down into the corner.

When I noticed that Mariko was running for the far corner again, I pitched myself forward and rolled out of the corner in an effort to protect my chest, but when my roll stopped with me laying on my tummy, she was making the climb to the top turnbuckle in the corner.  When I got to my knees, she was perched on the top turnbuckle with her feet on the second rope, and when I got to my feet, she launched herself feet first toward me and hit me in the chest with a Missile Dropkick that sent me back down to the canvas.

Mariko was quick to dive on top of me and go for a pin, and the referee was just about to hit the three count when I was able to kick out.  I thought she had me that time but she made it easier for me by not hooking my leg.  When I got to my knees Mariko was already in the corner and I suspected that she was going for a frog splash since I had been lying on my back.  Once I started getting up, I prepared myself for another dropkick but as she was climbing her foot slipped off the second rope which delayed her ascent giving me time to get to my feet.

As Mariko turned around to position herself to deliver the dropkick her feet were on the second rope and I was able to make it into the corner before she could jump.  I bent my body at the waist and sent a kick upwards towards her jaw.  Just before the bottom of my foot hit the target, she grabbed my foot and stopped my kick.  As she held onto my foot, she adjusted her grip and started twisting my ankle as I found myself in a bad position below her.

I tried to pull my foot free but my attempts to break her grip were not working.  I grabbed the second rope with one hand and balanced myself with the other as I started kicking her in the thigh with my other foot.  That was not working out so well either but since we were in the corner and my hand was on the rope the referee called to break the hold and started her three count.  Finally, she let me go and I tumbled to the canvas where I rolled toward the center of the ring to avoid the dropkick that I was sure was coming soon.  At the time my history with Mariko was a short one, but during the course of our first match together I learned that her favorite wrestling move was the Missile Dropkick.

I was right and as I went to get up Mariko launched herself off the second rope, but I was able to back up a bit and kept her from hitting my chest again, but I did take the impact on my right thigh which sent me back down to the canvas.  As I tried to get up, she pulled my right leg out from under me that was throbbing nicely from her kick.  She pulled my leg between hers as she dropped down onto the canvas.  She scissored my thigh and began cranking on my ankle. Attempting to bend it in a way that it was not meant to be bent.  As I screamed the referee as always came over to ask if I wanted to submit and my answer was the usual no.

She held the hold on me for a few minutes while I made many attempts to escape but all failed.  I was able to get us rolling and after a few rolls I was able to get a hand on the bottom rope.  The referee called for a break and Mariko released my ankle and leg.  As soon as she got up, she gave my right thigh a quick stomp before she strode off into the far corner.  I thought that she was going for the top rope again but I was surprised when she circled back around behind me.  Before she could grab my hair again, I spun around and sent my right foot into her left thigh.  I did not have much on it but it was enough to ward her off for a few seconds. 

When she came back in at me, she feigned a collar and elbow lockup but I knew that this was not her style, but she did catch me off guard and clubbed me in the side of the head with her forearm.  I staggered back to the ropes and she attempted to get to the ropes on the other side of the ring but as she attempted to whip me, I put on the brakes, spun and kicked the top of my foot into the center of her chest that sent her backwards to the ropes.

Mariko sunk into the ropes then came back at me with her arm raised over her head then brought it down to club me in the chest again.  I stumbled back a step then shot forward with a forearm of my own to her chest.  We went back and forth a few times exchanging smashes to each other’s chests until she ducked under mine and ran past me.  When I turned around, she launched herself at me with a standing dropkick that targeted my right thigh again.  I was beginning to see a pattern here with the attacks on my right leg and knew I had to start protecting that area.

As I started to get up again Mariko headed toward the ropes and came back toward me fast.  I suspected another dropkick so as I got to my feet, I took a few steps toward her and closed the distance between us to take the dropkick away from her.  As she passed the point of no return, I raised my foot as high as her stomach and let her run right into it.  She remained on her feet though a little groggy and that gave me the opportunity to launch two quick kicks at her left thigh.  I had to switch legs to kick with since I was not getting the power that I needed from my right.  I knew that I would have to use my feet to ground this high flying opponent.

Mariko grabbed her thigh and took a step back and as she stepped back, I sent another kick at her but this time I aimed high and caught her in the side of her head.  She stood motionless for a second then collapsed onto her knees on the canvas.  Once she was down in a kneeling position, I lifted my left leg above her and then drove my heel down onto the top of her head.  This time she pitched forward and tumbled to the canvas and came to rest on her side.  It did not take much for me to shove her over onto her back and jump on top for a quick pin attempt.  I was so close to getting a three count. 

Another six inches and the referee’s hand would have hit the canvas but Mariko was able to kick out just in time.  I looked at the referee and clapped my hands together three times as I counted 1… 2… 3…  The referee was not amused by my little counting lesson.  I started to get up and was almost to my feet when Mariko was on her knees.  As she pushed herself up the ring announcer’s voice came over the PA system and called out, “Ten minutes… ten minutes has elapsed!”  I thought to myself, “I cannot let this match go another ten minutes…  she is kicking my ass and wearing me down!”

Before she got to her feet I turned and ran for the far ropes with the intention of dropkicking her, but what I did not know was that she had gotten up and was following behind me.  When I turned my back to the ropes took the slingshot off the ropes, there was Mariko standing in front of me with her arm out to clothesline me across the chest.  I tumbled back into the ropes then fell down on my butt.

As I sat with my back against the ropes gasping for air, and by the time I located Mariko she was on her way back toward me from the ropes on the far side of the ring.  When she got close enough, she left her feet, bent her knee and took aim at my face.  She missed my face but hit my forehead.  I saw stars as I tumbled over between the bottom two ropes and crashed down onto the floor outside the ring.  My back hit first and with the wind knocked out of me from the impact I was dazed and out of breath.  It took me some time to compose myself and figure out where I was and what was happening.  When I was able to open my eyes and look up, I noticed Mariko hanging over the ropes looking down at me with concern for my safety written all over her face.

The referee started her count at just about the time I was able to roll over and get to my knees with a lot help from the ring attendants.  I was coughing violently as I struggled to fill my lungs with air.  The referee had counted to five by the time I was able to get a hand up on the ring apron to try to get back in the ring.  I screamed as I got my hand on the bottom rope and pulled myself up.  The referee’s count had reached eight as I got my battered body on the ring apron, and the count reached nine as I rolled under the bottom rope. 

Even though she was my friend, Mariko was there to help me to my feet by my hair.  Once I was on my feet I was still dazed and did not resist when she tucked my head under her arm, and draped my arm over her neck.  She easily lifted me up and dropped me behind her with a Northern Lights Suplex.  She finished off the suplex with a bridge that had my shoulders down in a pinning situation.  Once again, the air was driven out of my lungs and my back was throbbing as the referee quickly started her count.

I was able to kick out at two and a half and now it was Mariko’s turn to protest about the referee taking too much time to get to three.  Seeing that she was getting nowhere with her protest she helped me up again by my hair and got behind me.  With her hands on my back she pushed me into the ropes chest first in an attempt to roll me up when I came off the ropes but I had enough sense to know that I needed to wrap my arms around the top rope and stay there.  Mariko tried a few times to pull me off but I was latched on tightly.  For my troubles I got a forearm shot across the upper back that mashed my little lady lumps into the unforgiving top rope.

While the referee was cautioning Mariko about the ropes, she spun me around and held me against the ropes while she pelted my chest with three quick forearm smashes.  She was doing her best to keep me from catching my breath.  After the third hit to my chest I slid down the ropes onto my butt with my back against the ropes and my arms out to my sides on the bottom rope to keep me from pitching over sideways. 

Mariko sprinted to the far ropes and was once again springing off of them and headed toward me, and when she launched herself toward me with her knee aimed at my head I pitched to my left and laid out on the bottom rope.  Mariko missed me and her feet sailed through the space between the bottom two ropes.  She was able to keep herself from going out to the floor by grabbing onto the bottom rope.  Mariko was a bit confused as to what had happened so that gave me a few seconds to get out of there and pull myself up to my feet.  As Mariko stuck her head between the ropes to get back in, I was holding onto the top rope and sending a kick toward her forehead.  The top of my foot hit her forehead and she was propelled backwards where gravity took hold and pulled her down to the floor where I had been just a few moments before.

While she was down on the floor I let go of the top rope and collapsed to the canvas where I lay gasping for breath while the referee was leaning over the top rope looking at Mariko.  I rolled to my side to watch for Mariko to get back into the ring and as the referee’s count got to five her hand had come up to rest on the ring apron and I could just see the top of her head.  As I got up to my knees the referee’s count was at eight and I could see that Mariko was getting closer to get back into the ring.  I was waiting for the referee’s count to get to ten for the count out win but then I realized that this was Japan and the count would go until twenty before a count out was declared.

As I watched Mariko get closer to climbing in the ring I went to the nearest corner and started climbing the turnbuckles.  I did not think that she could move as fast as she did, because as I was climbing the ropes she got to her feet as I was just getting to the second rope, then before I could react, she smacked me in the side of the head with her hand.  I stumbled which gave her more time to get closer and club me in the back of the head with her forearm.  Now instead of climbing I was holding on to keep from losing my balance and falling over backwards.

While I was trying to remain upright, she had made it to the second rope on the outside of the ring.  The referee had stopped her count and was warning us to get out of the corner and for Mariko to get down off the ropes and get into the ring.  Mariko hooked her left hand behind my head to steady me as she delivered a forearm to the side of my head.  The force of the impact was doubled being that my head could not move in the opposite direction as she was holding it in place other hand.  My body began to wobble as I struggled to remain upright. 

I knew I had to fight back so with one hand holding the top rope I clubbed her in the side of the head with my forearm.  She returned the favor and then I hit her again.  We continued to trade blows to the head but she was getting the better of me due to her greater strength.  Finally, she delivered the blow that knocked me over backwards.  I fell from the second rope and crashed down on my back inside the ring close to the corner. 

I could see that she was getting set to pounce on me from the top rope so I mustered as much strength as my depleted condition would allow and attempted to deliver a blow to her chest that would knock her off balance and down onto the ring floor, but she was ready for me when I swung at her she grabbed onto my wrist before she fell backwards over the side of the ring post.  Her legs bent at the knee and hooked onto the top rope as she pulled brutally on my right arm.  The pain was excruciating on my right arm and the pain showed on my face.  I was thankful when the referee showed up and began her count after ordering Mariko to break the hold.  Mariko held the hold until the referee was about to say three.

When she released the hold, I clutched my arm and moved away from the ropes to the center of the ring where I could try to assess the damage to my arm and shoulder.  The feeling had gone out of my arm for now except for the sensation of pins and needles running through it.  I was thankful when I found that I could move my arm, bend my elbow, and move my fingers.

While I was assessing my situation, Mariko was once again on her way to the top turnbuckle and when I turned around to see what she was doing she launched herself at me feet first but this time I was able to step to the side and let her hit nothing but air before she crashed down back first on the canvas.  She got to her knees clutching her back but she needed to put her hands down to push herself up to her feet and even though I was guarding my numb arm I was able to punt the top of my foot up into Mariko’s wide-open tummy.  I knew I got her good when the sound of my foot smacking against her skin echoed through the arena.

Now she was on her knees in front of me clutching her tummy as her hair hung down in her face and she was moaning and gasping for air.  I knew I should have stayed on her but I knew I needed two arms so I gave her a minute while I tried to work some feeling back in my arm.  When she finally got to her feet she stumbled into the corner and hung her arm over the top rope to keep upright. 

Seeing that she was not so stable I charged in at her while giving the cry of the warrior and as I attempted a kick to her head she ducked down under the kick, grabbed me between the legs with one hand and flipped me over the top rope.  The move was so sudden that my attempt to grab the top rope missed and there was nothing to save me from crashing onto the floor outside the ring.

As I was attempting to get up Mariko was climbing the ropes again in the corner.  By the time I got to my feet she was standing on the top turnbuckle and launched herself toward me.  Her chest hit mine and as I went down, she landed on top of me with her chest across mine.  I would find out later that they call this a “Plancha”, but it did not matter what it was called, I was once again gasping for air.

She was quick to get off of me and get to her feet while I lay there gasping like a fish out of water.  The referee ordered Mariko back into the ring and she quickly complied.  She only stayed in the ring for a few seconds, and as the referee began her count,  Mariko dove through the ropes and out onto the floor.  She helped me up by my hair then slammed my forehead into the ring apron.  I was seeing stars again as I hung on the ring apron with only my arms holding me up.  Mariko was back in the ring quickly then she reached under the bottom rope and dragged me back in to the ring by my hair.  I was able to get under the bottom rope and was laying on my back with Mariko standing over me.

She helped me up by my hair and began positioning me for another suplex and just in time I realized what she was doing as she attempted to hook my arm behind her head.  I was able to pull free and use my arm behind her head to elbow her in the back of the neck three times before she aborted her suplex attempt.  My reward for messing up her plan was a forearm to the side of the head, which knocked me back into the ropes where I slid down and dropped on my butt.  I was leaning against the ropes trying to clear the cobwebs from my battered head when Mariko came toward me feet first and dropkicked my chest.  Now I found myself half in the ring and half out with a headache and a chest that was protesting every breath that I tried to take.

Mariko pulled me up by the hair but I dropped down quickly and rolled into her legs which took them out from under her.  I grabbed for her arm and tried to get her into an arm bar but without being able to think clearly in my throbbing head she was quick to shove me down onto my butt and get to her feet.  I was sitting there at her mercy when she tried to kick at my chest but I was not totally out of it.  I was able to latch onto her leg at the foot and ankle and twist her down hard. When she was down on one knee I scissored her thigh and began to twist her ankle with all of the strength I could muster.  She let out a scream as she was twisted down onto her tummy on the canvas.  It did not take much effort to move around her while still holding on to her foot.  I pulled her foot with me, which caused her leg to bend at the knee as I lay on my side across her lower back.  With her foot still in my hand I snaked my left arm under her chin and pulled back on her foot and chin at the same time in an attempt to bend her in half backwards.

She struggled to free herself but even in my depleted condition I was still able to keep the hold in place and soon the referee was asking her if she wished to submit.  Once again, the answer was no.  She was fighting hard and her strength was giving me problems.  I could no longer hold onto her leg so I used both arms on her head and turned my chin lock into a sleeper as my legs wrapped around her leg that I had just let slip from my grip.  She was laying on her tummy now and crawling toward the ropes as I lay on her back.  Unfortunately, I had to break the hold when she made it to the ropes and the referee called for the break.

After the break I got to my feet before her then it was my turn to help her to her feet by her hair.  When she was on her feet, I took a step back and aimed a kick at the left side of her head, but the bad thing is that Mariko and I had been working together in the ring for a while and she knew my moves and tendencies and her hands caught my foot after she avoided the kick.  Now it was her turn to twist me down and apply an ankle lock of her own. 

Once she applied the lock she did not stop there, she pulled my leg back toward my head and then she sat down on the back of my head.  She was pulling back so hard that my body was bending backwards and my other leg had come off the canvas as my hips were about a foot off the ground.  The referee leaned down to ask if I wanted to submit and once again, I declined.  I did hear someone yell from ringside, “TAP OUT!”  If I had seen who it was I surly would have shown him a special finger that has great meaning.

I was able to pitch over onto my side, which got her off of my head, but she was still holding my leg and cranking on my ankle.  She quickly rolled me back over on to my tummy as she got to her knees but once the weight was off of me it was an easy stretch to get my hand on the bottom rope.  Once my hand was on the rope the referee called for the break but this time Mariko did not release the hold until she was in danger of exceeding the referee’s three count.

Mariko backed away which gave me time to drag myself to my feet by using the ropes.  When I turned toward the center of the ring I was met with a strong forearm across my chest.  I pitched forward clutching my chest and attempted to back away.  When she moved in to deliver a clubbing blow to the back of my neck, I surprised her and slammed my forearm across her chest but my targeting was off and instead of hitting above her breasts, I flattened them with my strike.

That slowed her down a little, but she still struck out at me with an elbow aimed at my left cheek, but the combination of her wild swing and my taking a step backwards caused her to miss her mark and hit nothing but air.  As she followed through on her swing, I went at her with what she feared most from me and kicked the top of my foot into the back of her left thigh.  Her leg buckled forward slightly and when it did, I moved in and aimed my forearm at the side of her head and swung hard, but she was able to get her arm up and block my strike.  In return she did the same to me but this time she connected and her forearm slammed into my face just below my left eye.

She tried again but I was ready for her and ducked under, when she followed through, I twisted both of my hands into her hair and pulled her head down sharply as I raised my right knee up to meet her forehead as it was coming down.  She straightened up quickly and staggered backwards while at the same time I lost my balance and dropped down onto one knee on the canvas.  While she was still dazed, I got to my feet and set an unopposed kick to the side of her head, which caused her to stumble backwards as she struggled to stay on her feet.

With her staggering about it was easy enough for me to pull her head down under my arm, hook her leg and launch her over my shoulder as I fell backwards.  The Northern Lights Small Package Suplex was completed and Mariko was down on the mat with me in a pinning position.  The referee hit the canvas and started her three count.  She got to two in the count when Mariko kicked out.  Once again, I was looking at the referee and held up three fingers to let her know that she should have gotten to three faster.

Mariko was still laying on the canvas breathing hard and as she started to get to her knees I pushed past the referee and helped her up the rest of the way by her hair.  When she was on her feet, I tried to hit her again in the head with a quick kick but she was able to duck under it and as she came back up to a standing position, she clubbed me on the left side of my head with her forearm.  Her follow through carried her into me and from the combination of her blow and her body hitting me we both went down.  I landed on the canvas on my back and she landed on top of me.

This was not a pinning situation even though the referee started counting.  When Mariko landed on my chest the air within my lungs was expelled and after she rolled off of me, I struggled to fill my lungs again.  This gave her enough time to drag me up by my hair.  At this point I was beginning to consider shaving my head for my next match since my hair made for a good handle to use against me.

When I got to my feet I was met with a strong slap from Mariko across my left cheek.  It stung more than anything, but not to be out done I slapped her back.  I could see where this was going.  We had been at this for quite a while and we were both a bit weary and winded and this was Mariko’s way of stalling so that she too could catch her breath.  We exchanged approximately six slaps each, and in between slaps there were a few seconds where we could breathe and contemplate our next moves.  During these few seconds the PA system activated and the ring announcer called out, “Two minutes! Two Minutes to curfew!”

I knew that when this slap fest ended that I needed to make the next move, so without warning after Mariko slapped me, I slapped her back as hard as I could in an effort to get her to turn her head, and when she did, I stepped back and as she turned to look at me my left foot was streaking toward the side of her head.  She had no time to react and my foot struck and caused her to drop down onto her knees.  After her knees hit, she pitched forward allowing me to take a hold of her left arm and twist it around my left leg as she was now supporting herself on her knees with one hand resting on the canvas.

Once I secured her arm around my leg I dove over her back, and that caused her to roll over with me.  I landed first but kept moving and once she was on her back, I hooked her leg and rolled her up for a quick pin.  She kicked her legs wildly once her shoulders were down and after just a count of one, she broke the pin attempt.  She was not looking too steady and was not too quick at getting up to her knees so I tried again for a pin.  I threw my body against hers and knocked her back down, hooked her leg and leaned across her upper chest to try for another pin.  This time the referee got to two before Mariko kicked out.

I shook my head as I got up, I started to think of what else I could do to end this match.  I was quickly running out of steam and ideas.  Mariko was stirring on the canvas and started to get up.  I helped her up with her hair as had become the norm between us in this match.  I was planning another kick when she wrapped her arms around me as she came to her knees.  As she got to her feet, she adjusted her hold on me and the next thing I knew she was suplexing me over her as she stood up.  When my back hit the ground, she maintained her hold on me and bridged into a pin. 

Mariko’s improvised suplex tossed me close enough to the ropes where I could get my foot on the bottom rope before the referee could start her count.  While Mariko was laying on her back-sucking air I sat up and was rubbing the back of my neck that had hit hard as she completed her suplex.  This time we were both slow getting up, and while Mariko was rolling onto her tummy to push herself up, I was using the ropes to pull myself along toward the far corner of the ring.  With us both down some of the fans began to chant Mariko’s name, and as their chants grew in volume, I could hear my name being chanted as well.  Soon those chanting for me became almost as loud as those chanting for Mariko.  I was surprised that they were chanting “Tessa” instead of “gaijin.”  Eventually the chant changed to “Kore wa sugoi” which is “This is awesome” in Japanese.

I got to the corner and was starting to get to my knees to pull myself up when I stumbled and fell down onto my butt in the corner.  I was still rubbing my neck as I turned my back to the turnbuckles to look for Mariko.  When I found her, she was running toward me and before I could move, she launched herself at me and hit me in the chest with both knees.  I took the full impact, as the turnbuckles kept my back in place with no were to go.  Breathless I stumbled out of the corner, fell to the canvas and rolled toward the center of the ring. 

As I started to get up, I noticed Mariko climbing to the top turnbuckle and as I got to my feet, she had already launched herself at me.  I did not have time to react as her missile dropkick hit me in the chest.  Her feet flattened out my firm little orbs and sent me down onto my back on the canvas in the center of the ring.  Mariko got to her knees and lunged at me but I was able to roll away, but my rolling only took me into the corner with no escape route as she crawled quickly to me.

I was surprised that she had gone for a pin with me in the corner since it was only too easy for me to put my foot on the rope to get the referee to call for a break.  This told me that perhaps she was as desperate as I was to get this over with as we were close to the end of our energy reserves, and time was running out.  Mariko grabbed my hair and attempted to pull me toward the center of the ring but my legs felt like lead and I was dead weight to her.  She still should have been able to pull me better than she did with her strength, but since she had problems my theory about us both running out of energy was confirmed.

Once she got me up, she continued her assault on my head and fired an elbow strike to the left side of my head, but she held on to me so that there was nowhere for me to go.  She hit me a second time and then a third, but on the third hit she released her grip on my hair and I stumbled backwards.  I had been wondering where the referee was the whole time, she was hitting me and holding my hair, but after being hit in the head so many times I may not have heard her warnings to Mariko about the hair.  Sill I heard no admonishments directed to Mariko as she used my arm and hair to whip me toward the ropes.

I hit the ropes and rebounded and came flying off the ropes toward Mariko who was prepared to clothesline me.  I had just enough time to lower my head and aim my shoulder into her gut to attempt a spear.  The impact took the both of us down hard where we both lay there for a few seconds sucking air before we both got to our knees at the same time.  We both got to our feet at the same time and turned toward each other.  I tried to pull her head under my arm and attempt a DDT, while she wrapped her arms around me to attempt a belly to belly suplex.  As she tried to lift me off the canvas, I was able to hook my leg around hers and as she lifted me, she stumbled and fell forward.  My back hit first then she landed on top of me, but the suplex was not complete.

We both started to get up and as I rolled to get to my knees the ring bell sounded signaling that the time had expired and we had reached the curfew.  The referee came in between us and announced the match was a draw.  Mariko and I stopped trying to get up.  She was on her knees close to the corner and I just rolled over onto my back.  My head was aching and I was fighting hard to breathe.  Mariko rolled to the corner and pulled herself into a position where she used the turnbuckles as a back support while she too struggled to catch her breath.

I just laid there on my back for a few minutes since I could finally breathe without getting hit in the head or kicked in the chest.  The referee came over to check on me since I was not moving, but my not moving was my choice, it was not because I could not move.  While the referee was tending to me the PA system activated and the announcer stated that the match was a draw due to the twenty-minute time limit. 

Record: 2 -3 - 1.