On paper the rules for tonight are quite straight forward. Lilith has been providing entertainment to her audience for some time now and is keenly aware that true success is in the details.
This is a 60-minute ironwoman match, submissions only, and Lilith knows that when she promises this, her audience is expecting a 60-minute match, and if these two women go all out then the first one to lock on may well be the end of the affair where her opponent canāt use her arm or stand unassisted.
No hairpulling. No biting. No gouging. Easy enough?
No kicks, punches, or slaps. No elbows or knees. A cross body off the ropes is ok, but no jumping off the top rope and no drop kicks. Basically, no part of your hands, elbows, knees, shins, or feet can touch your opponent unless they are part of something to hold, squeeze, or twist.
Throws and slams are perfectly ok ā but only onto your opponentās back and only onto the mats. So, no picking someone up and dropping them on your knee, the turnbuckles, or the ropes.
And this is the important part. Yes, itās expected to be competitive, but⦠If you know youāve been caught thereās a hand signal. Touch your opponent twice with a free hand or kick the mat twice with a free foot. Now we work. The wrestler thatās caught needs to let the world know they are suffering. They donāt need to scream; in fact, itās preferred that they do not ā the crowd isnāt that big nor is it that noisy. Just make sure the audience can see your pain, take your time⦠And then tap out.
āWhat if she doesnāt know Iāve caught her?ā
Then apply more pressure, slowly, until she does. One thing must be perfectly clear ā you both need to be professionals and you both need to be smart enough to protect yourselves. And if either of you gets hurt, Iāll be watching. If the person to blame is the one who came on too hard and fast, youāre done here. If the person to blame is the idiot who doesnāt surrender, then itās on you.
āWhat about a strangle or choke?ā
Lilith pauses for a momentā¦.
You could just follow the same as above, tap twice then sell. You could tap out/surrender properly, or you could even sell going to sleep.
āAnd if she doesnāt tap twice to begin with?ā
Then apply more pressure and if, between the two of you, the decision is that someone is going to tap or go to sleep⦠Lilith decides sheās ok with that.
Itās almost the full hour now, and the score is tied at three falls apiece. Both women have put on a show and Lilith is happy with the audience engagement and response while trying to figure out how long before she sets up one of these matches again.
The smaller wrestler has deceptive strength and has already lifted and slammed her larger opponent at whim. Both women are near exhaustion, surely the size difference must be a significant advantage by now? Not so much it seems as the larger grappler is lifted off her feet for a hip toss. The smaller wrestler very literally āhopsā into the air, twists suddenly, and crashes her opponent flat on their back, coming down on top to crush her ribs into the bigger womanās solar plexus.
Stunned and gasping for air, it takes a moment for Bexy to get back to her feet. Looking around the spotlights beaming into the centre of the ring make it even harder for her to see her tormentor, and then Bexy realises Teah isnāt to be seen?
Thatās because Teah is standing directly behind herā¦
The sleeper hold is clamped on like nothing less than a loverās embrace. Thereās no pain. Teahās bicep is squeezing against one side of Bexyās neck and the flat of her forearm is against the other. The expressions on Bexyās face convey the rest. Surprise. Concern. Realisationā¦
Lilith knew that Bexy was both competitive and expecting to win tonight. The draw would have been bad enough, but with the clock ticking down she is moments away from a 4-3 loss. Thatās probably why she didnāt tap twice. Teah just squeezed harder.
The final bell rings, seconds too late⦠For Bexy that is.
4-3 for Teah on the night. And the crowd is most impressed indeed.