I get back to my feet as she pushes herself up in the corner. I grab her arm again and try to spin her into the other corner but she reverses the hold and it’s me who hits the turnbuckle. I bounce forward out of the corner as she charges in to body check me. We collide a few feet from the corner and that’s the last thing I remember so I’ll let the video take up the story.
The video shows me going down in a heap in the corner as she staggers back. We’re both hurt from the collision but I’ve come off far worse than she has. She stays on her feet as Jay stands over me counting. I pull myself up on the ropes at 8 but I’m in no fit state to take the fight to her. She grabs me by the shoulder and the back of the head and hauls me out of the corner. When we’re in some space she lets go of my head, sticks her arm between my legs and hoists me up. As she does so, she lets out an agonised scream and drops to one knee. Then she drops me over her knee in a back breaker and I scream before rolling off her.
I’m face down on the mat while she stays on one knee rubbing her back as Jay starts to count. It seems my campaign of posting may have paid off after all. As I begin to stir Carole stands up ready for me. I make it up at 9 and she grabs me again. She tries to repeat the back breaker but as she goes to lift me her back obviously gives out. She screams again, drops to her knees and drops me to the mat in a half-hearted body slam. It may have been half-hearted but it’s still enough to lay me out.
Once again the count starts with us both on the deck, me flat on my back and her on her knees rubbing her back. At 6 I roll over and get to my hands and knees and we stare at each other. The expression on her face is of anguish mixed with mild panic, tears roll down her cheeks. She’s close to victory but she’s hurt and she needs to wrap things up quickly. The expression on my face says “leave a message and I’ll get back to you”.
We get slowly to our feet at 9, facing each. For a moment we just stand there sway gently and staring at each other. I have my back to the blue corner and I’m about midway between it and the centre of the ring, which is roughly where she’s standing.
She bites her lip, sniffs back the tears, steps forward and forearms me in the chest. I stagger backwards but stay on my feet.
She takes another step forward and forearms me again. I stagger back into my corner and slump against the turn buckle. I’m completely out of it and offer no resistance as she steps up to me and pulls my head into her ample bosom.
For the next 20 seconds or so she cuddles me against her breasts as I slip into unconsciousness again. It’s clear the only thing holding me up is her grip and my arms draped over the ropes. Eventually she pulls my face from her cleavage, tilts my head back and kisses me full on the lips. Then she delivers a final knee to my groin, staggers back, still holding the back of my head, and bulldogs me face first at the mat.
Once again, I’m out cold, face down on the mat, legs spread either side of the corner post. But this time I’m going nowhere – I’m done.
She stands there swaying but manages to keep her feet until Jay counts to 10 - I don't stir as I'm counted out. When the bell sounds, she drops to her knees in front of my prostrate form, struggling to get her breath back. She raises her arms in victory but it’s clear she’s exhausted; another minute or so and I might just have got the better of her.
Eventually she starts to get up, just as I come round and raise my head. She staggers back to her corner while Erica comes to my side and starts to help me up.
I’m back with it now. As I get to my knees Erica puts a stool in the corner between my feet and helps me to sit back on it. My head’s still spinning as I look across the ring at my vanquisher. Carole is gasping for air and gulping down water. Her body drenched in sweat and her matted hair is sticking to her face. She looks over at me, a mix of concern, affection and satisfaction that says ‘I won but I didn’t mean to hurt you so much, are you OK?’ Then I see her smile and I know she’s read the expression on my face too: ‘Don’t worry honey, you did what you had to do, I’ll be fine.’
After a couple of minutes’ recovery time Jay calls us to the centre of the ring and, raising Carole’s arm, announces:
“After fifteen minutes and forty seconds, your winner by a knockout, Carole!”
She then raises my arm and announces:
“And your gallant loser, Ellen!”
Jay steps back and places our hands together and we stand there for a moment with our arms raised. Then Carole turns to me, puts her arms around me and kisses me firmly on the lips. Suddenly my mind is full of thoughts of re-enacting some key parts of our fight – with a strap on.
