AS 91: Eve Taylor vs. Kagura Ohzora - Non Title

[Kermit]

After six years in WZCW of not having a singles women champion, the company now has two. This monumental main event for Ascension 91 will feature for the first time ever, two singles women champions in a one versus one bout. Eve Taylor comes into this match riding high with a signature tag win over Hard Metal Penetration while Kagura Ohzora suffered a loss at the hands of Cerberus member, Flex Mussel. Can Kagura reverse her fortune, or will Eve prove that she is the alpha female champion in WZCW? You don't want to miss this.


Deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Central Time). Extensions are available upon request.​

 

[ABMorales787]

Deadline Extended 24 hours.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

"Hello. The offices of Ascension's General Manager Rebecca Serra are currently unavailable. Please leave a mess-"​

Eve Taylor angrily hangs up her cellphone, annoyed about reaching the answering machine yet again. She shoves the cellphone in her Wednesday's only handbag, beginning the pace the backstage corridors whilst muttering under her breath in her native tongue Italian, something very rare for the prominently English-speaking competitor to do. She couldn't contact any member of the WZCW Board of Directors despite the urgency of her concerns. The best they could do was send backstage interviewer Johnny Klamor for an exclusive piece for the WZCW App so Eve could vent her frustrations and for the higher-up's to watch at a later time when they were free. Knowing this - or at least, theorising this in her own head and confirming her conspiracy to herself in Italian (as she continued to mutter) - made Eve even more livid... and also seemed a little crazy as Johnny Klamor approached the Eurasian champion. He took each step with caution as he got closer to Eve, trying to remain his old self in the process.

"Miss Taylor! So good to see you! Finally, we get to do a proper interview together! Throw Leon & Stacey to the curb, you've hit the jackpot with Big Johnny. Haha!"

Eve was unfazed by Klamor's attempts to get the ball rolling without appearing too hostile as she continued to pace around. Johnny took a second or two to let the moment pass before trying for a second time to get Eve to begin the interview.

"Well, listen. Becky Serra sent me here to talk to you with the camera's rolling. She's a little busy and I've got some free time on my hands to do this... since Aftershock's been on hiatus for a while and-"

"So they send someone else to deal with me in hopes this will all blow over, huh?"

Eve stops her pacing in her tracks, facing away from Klamor who looks intrigued by what she said.

"Becky isn't an interviewer any more, Eve, which is why they sent me."

She turns around, looking directly at Klamor.

"I'm not here for an interview, John. I wanted to sit down with any one who makes decisions around here and explain to me why this company seems to hate me all of a sudden."

"Hate you? Why on Earth would you possibly think a successful business would do something to annoy one of their champions? Please don't tell me you actually have the notion running through your head."

Eve shakes her head.

"I'd love to say that I don't but with everything that's happened, how can I not? First, they call a no-contest in a 6 man tag team match where Constantine decides to walk out mid-match and we take advantage... and he gets awarded a championship opportunity?"

"One he valiantly and rightfully earned."

"So did I. I beat the World champion twice in consecutive weeks! Not to mention, when that nerd Theron Daggershield comes out to save the day, they decide it's in their best interest to give him a championship opportunity as well as match against my colleague, another match whose decision was questionable... and after getting attacked by Daggershield multiple weeks in a row, they believe it is in everyones' best interests to split up Cerberus' championship defense at Gold Rush into two separate matches? It was suppose to be our crowning achievement and solidify us as the greatest collection of beautiful talents in WZCW but they took it away!"

Johnny lets out a little confused laugh, waving his hands about and shaking his head. He couldn't believe what Eve was saying.

"I'm sorry but even I can see you're being very delusional. As a singles champion, shouldn't you be proving your dominance by yourself instead of relying on your partners?"

Eve closed her eyes longer than usual before glaring at Klamor in disbelief, still trying to process what Johnny just said to her.

"Excuse me but I won this Eurasian championship without anybody's help. This was a solo effort and I intend on keeping this title for a very long time, starting off with my first defense against an unworthy challenger in Theron Daggershield... but I digress. I'm upset because the opportunity to share the ring with my Cerberus brethren was taken away from me due to, as it was put to me, 'unfairness' and 'putting the challengers at a disadvantage.' I mean, c'mon Johnny! In a competitive environment where everyone strives to be the best, people are complaining about advantages? How low can people truly go?"

Klamor exhales deeply, not sure how to answer.

"If you feel these decisions are unwarranted, you could always leave."

Eve rolls her eyes.

"I had the chance to drop everything I've worked for in WZCW and re-start my modelling career with a lucrative contract under an old friend who was willing to put me as the face of their company... but I refused."

"Why didn't you take it? What you've described to me sounds like we've broken the final straw for you. I'm no politician but you could've used this as leeway or something."

She smirked.

"I've begun to hit my stride here, making waves in the wrestling world and fashion industry with my success. I have more eyes on me inside the squared circle than I ever could on the catwalk to promote my message of the importance of beauty... especially mine!"

Eve flicks her hair to the side, striking a quick pose.

"I'm not running away from this or my challenges. Could things be better? Of course, there are many improvements to be made... but as a fighting Eurasian champion, I'm not going anywhere, especially against that Aubrey Sloan wannabe Kagura Ohzora. How she won that championship, I'll never know!"

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy in your voice?"

Taylor looked perplexed at that question.

"Jealous? I'm the first-ever female competitor to hold a singles championship in WZCW history! If anything, Kagura should be jealous of me for winning my title match at Revolution. Come to think about it, Kagura would be jealous of everyone with the amount of identity theft she's committing. Female champion? That's me. Awkward girl from another culture who doesn't know ours? That's Aubrey Sloan. Has a translator and cannot speak English? A touch of Victor Makarov there..."

"Victor came after Kagura."

"Point is, Johnny: whatever Kagura Ohzora likes to think of herself, it's only a flimsy copy of another great competitor like myself. Although my current challenger is unworthy, he is (at least) a semi-competent wrestler who's won a few matches. Kagura is the champion of scraps: whoever is available, she gets. She just cannot compare to the Fabulous One & champion of two continents, Eve Taylor..."

She pulls out a handheld mirror from her handbag, smiling into it as she fixes up her hair and face.

"... and unlucky for her, I'm still not in the greatest of moods and proving my superiority over her in our champion vs. "champion" match is going to be my way of venting. A girl with my good looks cannot suffer any stress lines on her face: need to keep the money-maker intact, Johnny... and Kagura looks like she needs a long overdue facial. All those years wearing Japanese-style face paint has covered her hideous cheekbones and jaw-line, so I guess I'm doing her a favour!"

Eve puts away the mirror Klamor a smile.

"As much as I'd love to stay here and chat, I've got to become beautiful for my match."

Taylor begins to leave with her signature runway walk, flaunting her stuff. She puts her hand in the air and flutters her fingers, waving goodbye.

"Ciao, darling."

 

[Bernkastel]

The loss I suffered at Meltdown 115 was divine interference. That was the only way to describe how I felt. Even as I replayed the tape I had made no mistakes. My form was perfect. Mussel-san had simply outmaneuvered me. The voice in the back of my head before the bell rang screamed at me that this fight was not going to be clean. In the vision that I had the night before of a three headed dog was all the warning I had needed. I had been prepared to lose that night. I had been expecting it. Someone might ask me why, and my replay would have been “because the Kami love entertainment.”

It wasn’t ironic that Taylor-san and I had won our championships so close together. We were destined to meet at least once. However, whether or not we were destined to become rivals was still up in the air. For years WZCW had not had any female champions. I had been aware of this. Years ago one woman changed all of that. Crimson-sama had opened up many doors for future competitors like me and Taylor-san. Only we were going to take what she had accomplished further. I was the Elite X champion and Taylor-san was the Eurasian champion. One of us had to establish dominance. I understood. And I wasn’t going to try and run away from the challenge. That would bring shame to the title and to future champions that held this belt.

I found it symbolic that I had won the Elite X title from a Russian. Crimson-sama had been Russian, so it was almost like a passing of the hyperbolic torch. But Taylor-san had received her torch before I did. And now the showdown was imminent. I had to take the head of the beast.

---​

I suddenly found myself in demand everywhere since becoming champion. The press wanted me, sports editors wanted me, and television wanted me. I was making up to 4 public appearances a week. It was terrifying the first time I had ever given a sit down interview, but Gozaburo-san had been there each time to walk me through it. My English was improving, but I still heavily relied on him to translate. Not that many of my coworkers knew, but I could read and write English quite well at this point. It helped if I was given a transcript before any sort of interview. Today I was meeting fans and signing autographs. It was a wonderful experience. WZCW had all sorts of merchandise with my likeness on it, so I signed tee-shirts, figurines, Meltdown 115 programs, posters, and even a few Elite X title belt replicas.

Gozaburo-san seemed to be in a good mood. He was as cheerful as I was, but as the day rolled on I could see his demeanor changing. Sasuke Gozaburo was not a people person; or at least not the type to immerse himself in the company of others except for when it accomplished a purpose. He was still very old school and kept that mentality. When he was champion he didn’t travel with certain people, he ate at specific restaurants, and avoided crowds. I supposed this was a new experience for us both.

I was living my dream. I was a champion representing my country and culture the way that nobody had done before. I was an ambassador. I hadn’t the faintest clue how my presence affected the American audiences until I interacted with the fans. Fans old and young regaled me with their tales on how I had filled them with courage watching me defeat Makarov and perseverance over my career. Several Japanese-Americans and immigrants had approached me to tell me stories about how much pride they felt when I had won the championship. I began to wonder if the French felt this way towards Taylor-san. Like me, she too was a foreigner. I guess I could relate to her in that respect.

---​

The day of Ascension 91 was closing in. WZCW was billing the match between me and Taylor-san the “International Incident Part 2” France versus Japan. Champion versus Champion. I was tired that morning. The rigors of travel were starting to catch up to me. Being a champion was hard. There was more travel, more public appearances, and more publicity. I barely found the time to train and meditate. But I felt like the Kami had blessed me with this opportunity because I had become worthy of being a champion. Being a champion in Japan meant carrying yourself with more grace and dignity than normal, which was a custom that Gozaburo-san had instilled in me. It was one of the few customs from our country that he had retained. I did not wear my ceremonial robes in public. And if I did I did not wear my title belt. I dressed in suit and tie and looked formal. It did not surprise me at all that Eve Taylor-san dressed this way too. Champions had to look like champions.

We were in the studio prepping for our pre match interview. Fans from all over were watching with earnest. This was the first time in history that two female champions were facing off one on one. The pride of our titles, the pride of our genders, and the pride of our countries were on the line. Stacy Madison-san had been contracted to do the interview. She was sitting in a chair across from us. The studio had a poster hanging above us hyping up the match, with Eve Taylor and Cerberus on one side and me and Sasuke Gozaburo on the other. WZCW were hyping this up as a PPV match. Even if it wasn’t, it was still special. Most “firsts” in life were special.

“I have with me the new Elite X champion Kagura Ohzora and her manager former world champion Sasuke Gozaburo.”

I smiled as Madison-san introduced us.

“Hello everyone,” I responded.

“It’s a pleasure,” replied Gozaburo-san gruffly.

He wasn’t allowed to smoke on set so I could tell he was feeling a bit agitated.

“At Ascension 91 we see history happen as WZCW hosts the first one on one non title match between two female champions. As a woman I can say this is a proud day for me. I remember when women were not allowed to compete in the company at all. There was no division for a long time. And then Celeste Crimson returned to prove that women still had a place within the squared circle. However, both Kagura Ohzora and Eve Taylor have accomplished what she could not and that’s to win singles gold.”

Stacey Madison spoke before addressing me, “How do you feel being the new Elite X champion, Kagura?”

“It’s an honor. All my life I have dreamed able coming to America and becoming a champion.”

I spoke in my native tongue as Sasuke translated. I held the belt in front of me.

“This championship has allot of history, and I swear to be a fighting champion no matter what.”

Stacey-san nodded.

“Many greats such as hall of famers Titus and David Cougar have held this championship. As well as Sam Smith, Matt Tastic, Fallout, and perhaps the greatest Elite X champion ever current world champion John Constantine. Do you feel like you can follow in their footsteps?”

“Most definitely,” I replied.

“I may not be the fastest. I may not be the strongest. But I have heart and I have technique.”

“And you proved it in your match against Victor Makarov. Nobody thought you could win that match, but you proved them all wrong.”

Her tone became a little bit harsher.

“However last week you lost a match against Cerberus’s Flex Mussel. So how can one expect to see you as any sort of match against Eve Taylor?”

I winced. Gozaburo-san was not happy.

“Perhaps it was fate that I lost that match Madison-san. Does it make me any less of a dignified champion? Even if I go in as an underdog that doesn’t mean that I can’t win.”

Stacey smirked.

“It’s admiral to think that way, but let’s be realistic. When you won that title belt you put a bulls eye on your back. Everyone will be shooting for you.”

She crosses her legs. Her tone was condescending.

“You compare yourself to Celeste Crimson; that you’ve received her proverbial torch, but I just don’t buy it. Celeste was a friend of mine. I believe that she was never a singles champion because nobody would have been able to beat her for it. When she held the tag belts, it took two people to stop her. If anyone has inherited the torch from Celeste it’s Eve Taylor.”

I was dumbfounded. Gozaburo-san translated what he chose. Or at least paraphrased what he thought I needed to hear. Truth was I had been prepared for this. On paper this international incident felt one sided. Eve Taylor had built an empire for herself. She was the most powerful woman in WZCW at the moment. And I lost to her underling in an attempt to prove a point.

“And not only that but also on Ascension 91 there’s a match between ElegAnt and The Beard to decide your number one contender. Can you imagine if someone like The Beard wins that match? He’s a former world champion and one of the most brutal, violent men in the history of the company. How can someone like you, underdog or not, possibly defeat him?”

After a pause I started to respond but Gozaburo-san held up his arm to stop me. He stared at Madison-san with venom. She stood up straight in her chair. She knew he was not the type of man to play games with.

“How dare you sit there and belittle my protégé. This woman proved that she has what it takes to be a champion when she defeated Victor Makarov. You say she can’t defeat Eve Taylor. You say she can’t defeat the Beard or ElegAnt. I say shut up!”

Stacey winced. She knew better than to get into a shouting match with a man like Sasuke Gozaburo. I didn’t try to stop him. His manipulation of linguistics was far beyond mine.

“Underestimate Kagura, go ahead! This girl has spent her whole life as an underdog and look how far she’s come. She carries on her back the pride of her gender, and the pride of her nation. Even Eve Taylor can understand that. The loss that she suffered against Flex Mussel was a fluke. The only thing that victory could suggest after my protégé defeats Eve Taylor is that the wrong head controls the beast known as Cerberus.”

I didn’t understand what Gozaburo-san was talking about, but on the other hand I didn’t need to. Stacey seemed to get the point. She smiled. I knew she had a weakness for outspoken individuals. That’s where Eve Taylor had me beaten. But I had Sasuke Gozaburo in my corner.

“Eve Taylor does not have the skills to beat Kagura. She doesn’t have the strength. She doesn’t have the endurance. As soon as the bell rings she’ll be rag dolled. This girl spends every waking hour honing her skills to be the best. Eve Taylors spends every waking hour in the damn beauty salon. She’s a joke of a champion who hides behind her stronger team mates. And after this International Incident is over with everyone is going to know who the better woman is.”

He took out a cigarette and placed it into his mouth. Stacey tried to stop him but he shot her a look that said ‘don’t even try it.’ He took a drag and blew the smoke in her face.

“The Beard and ElegAnt are fighting for the right to face Kagura in the future. Don’t you think she’s aware of this? She’s not stupid. She’s scouted potential opponents from the Gold Rush tournament since before even winning the belt. It doesn’t matter who you place in front of her they are a mountain that Kagura will climb over. For even the mightiest rock will be eroded by the weakest stream. When kagura dances in that ring she’s unpredictable. Say what you want about her loss to Flex Mussel. Nobody is unbeatable. Anyone can be beaten on their best day.”

He took another puff before prematurely crushing the cigarette in his hand. He let the ashy remains drop onto the floor.

“But that gives Kagura an advantage. You see unlike most everyone else she has more good days than bad days. When she puts her mind to something nothing can deter her. She set her sights on becoming a WZCW superstar and she did. She set her sights on learning English as she is. She set her sights on becoming a champion and she did. Now she sets her sights on becoming the most dominant woman in the industry and she will. When kagura defeats Eve Taylor nobody will underestimate her again.”

This time I held up my hand. Gozaburo and Stacey turned towards me. He stopped.

“I train hard. I become champion. Nobody best everyday but I prove I can win. Nobody take title away without fight. I prove it!”

Stacey smiled. Maybe I had won her respect. Maybe I could win Eve’s too. The empire Cerberus had built would probably crumble. Something had to give. It was either her or me. The Kami could be cruel.