Kathleen Hendricks vs. Rose and Thorn - Bow Down

Match Type: Handicap Elimination
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or Knockout

***

...did this bitch just slap her?

That was the question that was running through Thorn's mind more than anything else right now, as she stood there with her head to the side and a puzzled look on her face. She had just been getting ready for this match, ramping up to run over Kathleen and give her the proper AFW introduction, when she felt something crash against her face. It took her by surprise, so much so that she needed a moment to register it, as if her brain couldn’t quite process the proceedings.

She reached up, rubbed her chin, shifted her jaw - yep, all the telltale signs were there. This bitch just slapped her.

Thorn’s first move was to look over her shoulder, exchanging glances with Rose, who only gave her a half-hearted shrug and an amused smirk in response. Yeah, that figured.

”So, that’s the way it’s gonna be, huh?” She looked back to Kathleen as the referee wisely stepped out of the line of fire. ”All right. Have it your way.”

The bell rang and Thorn wasted no time, coming out of the gate with a running start to close the distance. No tie-up, no grappling, no circling and sizing up. She moved in close, brought her boot up and shot it out towards her opponent’s chest with a wild kick, looking to plant her boot at center mass and knock the smaller woman back.

Damn right she slapped her. Cracked her across the cheek and mouth to show that she wasn't scared of some big brute with muscle. Kathleen had a similar kind of woman at her side, just someone who wasn't signed to AFW yet. So she was forced to go at it alone, and she didn't even flinch as the beast spat at her in response.

As the bell rung, she figured that slap would piss Thorn off enough to disregard the typical openings of a match and go running in head-first, or in this case, foot-first, like a raging bull who's seen red. And sure enough, there she went, having no mind that maybe this was something expected. Lurching to the side of that incoming boot, she knew just what her strategy was in terms of taking down the 6 foot woman.

Go after her legs.

Her near dodge was followed up with her body thrusting forward and downward, aiming right for the back of the knee of the woman, the leg that wasn't lifted up. This could be a good strategy, or one that would fail her, but if Kathleen was one thing, it was confident, so she wasn't about to not put her all into that chop block to the giant, wanting to take that leg out and begin her assault on it.

Rose looked on from the sidelines, arms folded, taking this all in and making some mental notes about their opponent. While she had little doubt they would win this match, she wasn’t content to merely come out on top of the affair. She wanted to dominate. Wanted to put this newcomer in her place. So, with that in mind, it was important that she get a good idea of who they were dealing with, what she had to offer, and so far things looked...interesting.

Right away, she could see that this woman wasn’t merely confident, but had the skill to back that confidence up. Thorn learned this the hard way, sadly.

The slap was, no doubt, meant to piss Thorn off and make her charge, and it accomplished that task in grand fashion, making her partner come hurtling in with a kick that would’ve laid the smaller woman out...if it connected. It didn’t.

She dodged, but she didn’t dodge all that much. Just enough to avoid the blow, leaving Thorn to stumble forward, taking time to recoup. It was time that Kathleen used well, dropping down and lashed out, coming from behind and striking at the leg with a swift chop block. Tough as Thorn was, heavy as she was, even she couldn’t take a blow like that there and stay standing - down she went. ”Fuck!”

Thorn whipped her leg around and stood up fast, pushing off the mat as quick as she was able and rising to her feet in a hurried rush. She came at Kathleen again, this lashed out with a fierce right cross, going to her brawling roots. A heavy, hard blow, meant for her opponent’s face.