Post by Betsy Gallagher on Feb 12, 2022 21:24:44 GMT -5
THE PATH OF TYRANTS
Betsy takes another moment to turn to Crystal who just stands there, nodding at her, before shifting her attention back to the camera, a look of fiery determination on her face.
BETSY GALLAGHER: Casanova English... I hate the bearer of BAD NEWS, but your time is over... It's my time now. GG!
Betsy gives Crystal one final nod before walking away as the crowd starts chanting "GG, Betsy, GG!" throughout the arena. Crystal turns to the camera one last time and nods.
With the bell ringing for the impending match, ‘Dusted’ by Asteroid Boys start playing out loud as the crowd lets out a roar of excitement. From behind the curtain quickly appears Betsy Gallagher, who looks poised and confident, her robe slung over her shoulders and throwing her arms to the side. The crowd lets their appreciation and hope sound by chanting her name. With a smile at the camera, Betsy made a belt-gesture at her waist as she made her way down the ramp...
After Casanova followed, Betsy got straight in his face about making a mockery of the match he’s supposed to be fighting with her, and Casanova only gets a bigger smile on his face as he decides to add a little bit of fuel to the fire with a hard slap in her face...
Betsy has nothing of it as she kicks out before the second hand can drop and scrambles backwards and to one knee, rubbing her nose to make sure it wasn’t busted. Casanova tries to follow up with a shining wizard, but Betsy counters with a quick and clean powerslam to the canvas, not letting Casanova get any chance to recover she grabs his left wrist and starts twisting it to the right to keep him off balance, and with the champion vulnerable she pulls him towards her for the short-arm Queen’s Lariat that drops Casanova to the canvas...
Betsy slowly stirs on the outside, but the blood trickling from her nose from repeated shots to her face added to the haggard movements of the challenger who was struggling to shake off the cobwebs in her head... Finally some life was returning to Betsy as she pushed herself to her knees and her feet, but Bash Daddy was quick to try and distract her even further. The chants of the crowd swelling larger and larger as they willed Betsy to get back into the ring to continue her title challenge...
But as the crowd lets out one final roar, Betsy Gallagher doesn’t wait any longer and rushes back into the ring, where Casanova had been waiting and ready to pounce as he tries a second shining wizard, which isn’t countered but dodged instead as Betsy got behind him and quickly hit him in the face with a European uppercut, a second one, and a third one that staggered the champion backwards... English doesn’t accept backing down though, and pushes Betsy away from him before speeding up and trying to retake control, but the crowd roars again as Betsy throws English up in the air and slams him spine first into the canvas with a pop-up powerbomb that for the first time shows genuine weakness in the champion... Casanova barely got up to his knees before Betsy followed up, trapping his arms and with a pumphandle lift dropping her into the British End STO... Betsy nodded her head and the crowd reacted in kind as they felt the end was nigh...
Wanting to ensure that Casanova wouldn’t get up, Betsy quickly decided to run the ropes and deliver her Regal Knee. But just as she hits the ropes a hand stretches out and pulls her leg out from under her, causing her to fall face first to the mat... Betsy took a few seconds to recover as she wiped some dried blood away from her nose, and the momentary distraction allowed him to close in and push his fingers straight into Betsy’s eyes whilst raking at her nose for extra pain, wiping some of the blood into her eyes to ensure she’d not see enough to fight back... Blinded and struggling to breathe, Betsy stumbled around and pushed the champion away from her, the referee turning around none the wiser and just in time for Casanova to leap forward to lock in Silence of the Lambs… But despite being off balance and partially blinded, the British challenger finds the werewithal to counter it into a modified Betsy Bomb sitout powerbomb straight into the pin! One! Two! Thrrrrrrrr-Kickout!
Clearing her eyes and pulling at her hair, Betsy looked devastated at the near-fall and pounds the mat in frustration as her eyes stared a hole at the champion still barely stirring after the powerbomb. Biting her cheek, she threw her now blood-streaked hair behind her shoulder and got up to her feet. Picking the limp body of the champion up to something resembling a standing base, she proceeded to show her herculean power by deadlifting him for her Hexcalibur Double Underhook Brainbuster… But English slips out, possibly through mere instinct he causes Betsy to lose grip of the hold and cause the champion to fall down to the canvas, but more importantly it gives him a moment of confusion to use his final energy to leap up and lock Betsy Gallagher into the Silence of the Lamb triangle choke, the champion locking it in deep and causing the challenger to quickly be pulled to the canvas with him... Unable to breathe properly, Betsy showed a second where she seemed like tapping but it was too late already as her body went limp and the referee ran in and called for the bell to ring.
"Here’s your winner by submission, and STILL Warrior Rising Champion, CASANOVA ENGLISH!"
After Casanova followed, Betsy got straight in his face about making a mockery of the match he’s supposed to be fighting with her, and Casanova only gets a bigger smile on his face as he decides to add a little bit of fuel to the fire with a hard slap in her face...
Betsy has nothing of it as she kicks out before the second hand can drop and scrambles backwards and to one knee, rubbing her nose to make sure it wasn’t busted. Casanova tries to follow up with a shining wizard, but Betsy counters with a quick and clean powerslam to the canvas, not letting Casanova get any chance to recover she grabs his left wrist and starts twisting it to the right to keep him off balance, and with the champion vulnerable she pulls him towards her for the short-arm Queen’s Lariat that drops Casanova to the canvas...
Betsy slowly stirs on the outside, but the blood trickling from her nose from repeated shots to her face added to the haggard movements of the challenger who was struggling to shake off the cobwebs in her head... Finally some life was returning to Betsy as she pushed herself to her knees and her feet, but Bash Daddy was quick to try and distract her even further. The chants of the crowd swelling larger and larger as they willed Betsy to get back into the ring to continue her title challenge...
But as the crowd lets out one final roar, Betsy Gallagher doesn’t wait any longer and rushes back into the ring, where Casanova had been waiting and ready to pounce as he tries a second shining wizard, which isn’t countered but dodged instead as Betsy got behind him and quickly hit him in the face with a European uppercut, a second one, and a third one that staggered the champion backwards... English doesn’t accept backing down though, and pushes Betsy away from him before speeding up and trying to retake control, but the crowd roars again as Betsy throws English up in the air and slams him spine first into the canvas with a pop-up powerbomb that for the first time shows genuine weakness in the champion... Casanova barely got up to his knees before Betsy followed up, trapping his arms and with a pumphandle lift dropping her into the British End STO... Betsy nodded her head and the crowd reacted in kind as they felt the end was nigh...
Wanting to ensure that Casanova wouldn’t get up, Betsy quickly decided to run the ropes and deliver her Regal Knee. But just as she hits the ropes a hand stretches out and pulls her leg out from under her, causing her to fall face first to the mat... Betsy took a few seconds to recover as she wiped some dried blood away from her nose, and the momentary distraction allowed him to close in and push his fingers straight into Betsy’s eyes whilst raking at her nose for extra pain, wiping some of the blood into her eyes to ensure she’d not see enough to fight back... Blinded and struggling to breathe, Betsy stumbled around and pushed the champion away from her, the referee turning around none the wiser and just in time for Casanova to leap forward to lock in Silence of the Lambs… But despite being off balance and partially blinded, the British challenger finds the werewithal to counter it into a modified Betsy Bomb sitout powerbomb straight into the pin! One! Two! Thrrrrrrrr-Kickout!
Clearing her eyes and pulling at her hair, Betsy looked devastated at the near-fall and pounds the mat in frustration as her eyes stared a hole at the champion still barely stirring after the powerbomb. Biting her cheek, she threw her now blood-streaked hair behind her shoulder and got up to her feet. Picking the limp body of the champion up to something resembling a standing base, she proceeded to show her herculean power by deadlifting him for her Hexcalibur Double Underhook Brainbuster… But English slips out, possibly through mere instinct he causes Betsy to lose grip of the hold and cause the champion to fall down to the canvas, but more importantly it gives him a moment of confusion to use his final energy to leap up and lock Betsy Gallagher into the Silence of the Lamb triangle choke, the champion locking it in deep and causing the challenger to quickly be pulled to the canvas with him... Unable to breathe properly, Betsy showed a second where she seemed like tapping but it was too late already as her body went limp and the referee ran in and called for the bell to ring.
"Here’s your winner by submission, and STILL Warrior Rising Champion, CASANOVA ENGLISH!"
(note: all that text from before the following line, above this following line, isn't part of the actual promo; they're just there for dramatic effect)
GALLAGHER ACADEMY
UNITED KINGDOM
A FEW YEARS AGO...
Betsy was lying on the mat, and Charles was pulling at the tiny laces of his boots. There were other wrestlers around, students of the Gallagher Wrestling Academy, which Charles frequents as its top trainer. Why wouldn't he be? The man was a national treasure. Everyone in the United Kingdom knew his name, his face, his many accomplishments. Charles was British Wrestling personified. Soon enough, the other wrestlers made their way to them, around them, faces staring down at her, worried, concerned, scared.
Charles pulled his laces loose. Betsy struggled to pull air, she gulped it, clawed it into her lungs.
"We thought you were winning. You just went the opposite of over." Someone said that.
"Shut up," said Charles. "Are you all right? I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Christ. I'm sorry."
For one moment, Betsy thought he was apologizing for having granted her annoying pleas to wrestle her, even though he had told her countless of times that he couldn't, shouldn't, and wouldn't. But Charles always had a soft spot for his little sister. And so there she was, sprawled on the ground, taken down expectedly by her brother, the Kingdom's favorite son. Betsy did put up a fight, though. As much fight as she could. In the end, it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough. She will never be enough.
Charles was terrified, solicitous, desperately worried. He had obviously never almost killed anyone before. The others he has wrestled since that point have all been trained to their full potential, knew how to keep themselves alive and well, even if their opponent tried their hardest to take them down for good. Betsy was trained as well but not to that extent, never to that extent, at least not yet. She was still green, greener than the grass of Hyde Park.
"I'm fine, Charles." She reassured him, more annoyed at his blabbering than having been embarrassed unintentionally. She should have seen that move coming. She's studied him before. Alas, there was always the disconnect between what one studies and what one does sometimes. She had fallen for that. Hook, line, and sinker. Still, she did not move. She just laid there. Like a corpse. But still catching her breath. "Christ. Don't be a wanker. I'll live."
BETSY GALLAGHER'S APARTMENT
A FEW DAYS AGO...
"I'll...live." Betsy reminded herself of the words she used to tell Charles whenever she needed to reassure him that she was all right. That she was fine. Even if she never was. Charles had other things to worry himself with. He has his career. He has the Academy. He has his daughter. Betsy can take care of herself. Betsy should take care of herself. She wasn't his tiny younger sister anymore. She was by no definition little anymore. Betsy was her own woman. She was her own wrestler. And by hook or by crook, she will always live.
In her room, alone, she thought about her first title match at Proving Ground XXX: The Path of Tyrants. She thought about how she tried her best, her hardest, to win her first title match, to become the Warrior Rising Champion, even though the odds were clearly stacked against her. She was alone in the fight. No Charles at ringside. Not a single Gallagher in the stands. They were all busy of course. They always were. But the champion had someone in his corner, and that someone proved to be a major thorn on her side. In the end, despite the fire burning within her, she could not beat the heel tactics that rendered her vulnerable, his prey, just another notch in his winning record, another casualty in his path.
But at The Crowning II, Betsy would have another shot at the same title, at the same champion. That at least made her smile. It wouldn't be just the two of them either. It would also involve two more competitors, challengers, both out to dethrone the champion, at any and all costs. Betsy knew that. She believed that. It may even be harder to win now, with the odds stacked against her once more. But she was never that great at Math. She defied statistics whenever she could. There was more to life than numbers, and at her second title shot, she would prove just that not only to the world but to herself. She can't lose again. Not for the second time in a row. "I'll...live, and I'll rise."
GALLAGHER ACADEMY
UNITED KINGDOM
A FEW DAYS LATER...
"Look who it is!"
"Betsy Gallagher!"
"Welcome home, Lady Gallagher!"
Betsy was caught surprised when she got out of the car and was greeted by other wrestlers and trainees at the Academy. She wasn't expecting people to greet her back when she got home, especially not after her first loss at Project: Honor, and a title loss, too. As much as she had thought she would be bringing honor and prestige to her homeland, to her people, she had failed and instead drowned in disappointment and humiliation, especially after passing out to that submission. "I'd rather you all just called me Betsy for now." She waved at them, an awkward smile on her apologetic face.
Brushing past them, she was able to make her way inside the Academy with no sight of her actual relatives, her own blood, not her big brother or her niece, waiting for her. Until finally, she ended up in Charles' room. United Kingdom's favorite son was on his feet, his back turned to her and the door, watching the trainees play and mingle outside in the gardens through his massive window. Betsy meekly greeted him. "Uh, Charles?"
"Betsy... How was the trip?" He didn't turn around to face her, continuing to do what he was already doing.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring home the title. I'm getting a second shot, though. At The Crowning II in Philadelphia..."
"That festivity should fascinate me. Our people, celebrating your homecoming, as a champion from across the Atlantic, for the first time in your new home. For years, we trained as though we were hunted. And now? We are dancing." Charles mused, a smile growing on his face, as he finally turned to look at his younger sister. But that did not last. He gestured for her to follow him out of his office and through the halls of the Academy, passing by other trainees who greet them, Charles mostly, with the honor and respect they deserve. "The wrestlers that come of these halls will be the most powerful generation of warriors the world has ever seen. Born in paradise. Raised to flourish. Finally, they have learned to believe: We are born champions."
Soon, they arrived at the giant room that served as the main training facility, looking like the interior of a warehouse but with wrestling mats littered all over the floors in precise measurements. Charles took a deep breath, appreciating the students wrestling each other to the best of their abilities, training to become so much more. Betsy interrupted his train of thought, rather awkwardly. "I tried to become champion at Proving Ground XXX: The Path of Tyrants, but I failed. I've been thinking about that loss ever since."
"Well, that is your trouble. Your thinking. Some things are better not suffered through thinking. They are acted upon."
"Well, I can't seem to act upon what I'm feeling right now, can I? I can't just... There's nothing left for me to do but stir and stew..."
"For now. It doesn't do anything to dwell on such thoughts. With opportunities for all of us happening all over the world, did you limit your expectations to one company? To one championship?" Charles shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. "You are familiar with British Wrestling, with our style of wrestling."
"...of course?"
"Others thought of the path, but it is us who bled and worked for that path. But what else could we do? In what other companies could we build a home, a castle? And what would it cost?"
"...everything."
"Yes, everything... Well, sister, it seems they always build a barrier wall against us. You will be the champion to breach it." Charles then gave Betsy a tight hug, and she returned the same, eyes narrowed towards the field of wrestling before her. She cannot lose again. Not like last time. Not ever.
"Betsy Gallagher!"
"Welcome home, Lady Gallagher!"
Betsy was caught surprised when she got out of the car and was greeted by other wrestlers and trainees at the Academy. She wasn't expecting people to greet her back when she got home, especially not after her first loss at Project: Honor, and a title loss, too. As much as she had thought she would be bringing honor and prestige to her homeland, to her people, she had failed and instead drowned in disappointment and humiliation, especially after passing out to that submission. "I'd rather you all just called me Betsy for now." She waved at them, an awkward smile on her apologetic face.
Brushing past them, she was able to make her way inside the Academy with no sight of her actual relatives, her own blood, not her big brother or her niece, waiting for her. Until finally, she ended up in Charles' room. United Kingdom's favorite son was on his feet, his back turned to her and the door, watching the trainees play and mingle outside in the gardens through his massive window. Betsy meekly greeted him. "Uh, Charles?"
"Betsy... How was the trip?" He didn't turn around to face her, continuing to do what he was already doing.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring home the title. I'm getting a second shot, though. At The Crowning II in Philadelphia..."
"That festivity should fascinate me. Our people, celebrating your homecoming, as a champion from across the Atlantic, for the first time in your new home. For years, we trained as though we were hunted. And now? We are dancing." Charles mused, a smile growing on his face, as he finally turned to look at his younger sister. But that did not last. He gestured for her to follow him out of his office and through the halls of the Academy, passing by other trainees who greet them, Charles mostly, with the honor and respect they deserve. "The wrestlers that come of these halls will be the most powerful generation of warriors the world has ever seen. Born in paradise. Raised to flourish. Finally, they have learned to believe: We are born champions."
Soon, they arrived at the giant room that served as the main training facility, looking like the interior of a warehouse but with wrestling mats littered all over the floors in precise measurements. Charles took a deep breath, appreciating the students wrestling each other to the best of their abilities, training to become so much more. Betsy interrupted his train of thought, rather awkwardly. "I tried to become champion at Proving Ground XXX: The Path of Tyrants, but I failed. I've been thinking about that loss ever since."
"Well, that is your trouble. Your thinking. Some things are better not suffered through thinking. They are acted upon."
"Well, I can't seem to act upon what I'm feeling right now, can I? I can't just... There's nothing left for me to do but stir and stew..."
"For now. It doesn't do anything to dwell on such thoughts. With opportunities for all of us happening all over the world, did you limit your expectations to one company? To one championship?" Charles shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. "You are familiar with British Wrestling, with our style of wrestling."
"...of course?"
"Others thought of the path, but it is us who bled and worked for that path. But what else could we do? In what other companies could we build a home, a castle? And what would it cost?"
"...everything."
"Yes, everything... Well, sister, it seems they always build a barrier wall against us. You will be the champion to breach it." Charles then gave Betsy a tight hug, and she returned the same, eyes narrowed towards the field of wrestling before her. She cannot lose again. Not like last time. Not ever.