Years after their epic Avalanche clash over the Entropy Championship, Alaina Sanders and Julia Rogers are finally set for a long-awaited rematch at Summer Splash, this time with the Friction World title at stake.

Some fans might be surprised to learn that this is only the second time the two will meet in singles action. Despite the training they received together in the same wrestling dojo, and the sisterly bond formed between them from that time onward, their careers have always taken quite different routes.

Julia Rogers went undefeated through her rookie year in Friction, and showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Conversely, Alaina Sanders initially struggled to find her footing, but learned and improved from each setback until she was ready to make a name for herself. Their seemingly opposite paths first came to a head when they found themselves in contention for the Entropy Championship at the same time, after both challenged then-champion Gwendolyn DuPont Bettencort with controversial results.

A triple threat match was made in an attempt to settle the issue between all of them once and for all. The decision backfired and only further fanned the flames of controversy when both Julia and Alaina were simultaneously involved in the winning pinfall. Faced with a highly unusual situation, the two were crowned as co-champions, with each defending their respective claim to the title until Avalanche, where they would ultimately meet to determine the undisputed Entropy Champion.

Aside from the co-title defenses they made in the coming months, the leadup to Avalanche that year also featured the only other time Alaina and Julia competed against each other, a high-intensity tag bout that gave the world an exciting preview of what was to come in their eventual title bout. The tension between them in those months grew so fierce it nearly destroyed their friendship.

“My Entropy unification win over Julia was one of the toughest matches I’ve fought,” said Alaina. “Our falling out during the time we were co-champions is honestly something I’m ashamed of.”

Similar sentiments have been echoed by Julia in the time since, though she says the violent war they had in the ring is what made their resolution possible.

“There’s times where you just can’t settle things just by saying what’s on your mind. But that’s part of the beauty of wrestling. It’s a universal language” Julia said. By the end of that match I felt like I understood where she’d been coming from, and how much it all meant to her. And I think she understood where I was coming from too.”

It was an Amabomb from the top rope that ended Julia’s winning streak and began Alaina’s true reign as Entropy Champion, which remains one of the more memorable title reigns in league history. They two also united to form a team known as “Sonic Boom” and had many memorable tag bouts together.

Abruptly their paths diverted when Julia announced she’d be returning indefinitely to New Mexico, while Alaina remained in Japan.

The absence of her friend and partner did nothing to slow the Amazon down. She continued to climb through the ranks until finally setting her sights on Adrian Kytes and the Friction World Championship at Avalanche. Adrian retained the title that night in controversial fashion. But, no stranger to such setbacks, Alaina persevered, and finally claimed the title at Cyber Saturday 2021.

Not long before, Julia made her unexpected return to Friction. But while Alaina had taken the wrestling world by storm and cemented herself as one of the top main event players in Friction history, things didn’t look so good for the cowgirl.

Julia had wrestled regularly in her family’s independent league in New Mexico, but that wasn’t the same as competing in Friction against the most skilled wrestlers in the world. And after spending so long away from that level of competition, she found herself struggling to re-acclimate, lingering in a slump for so long many began to wonder if we would ever see Julia Rogers at her peak again.

Those doubts were at last put to rest when Julia stepped into the ring with Rosa “Crusher” Cabrera, defeating the much larger and stronger woman with a display of skill that had not been seen of the cowgirl since she returned to Japan.

After the bout she took the microphone and addressed Alaina, and made two things known: First, she confirmed what many had hoped, that the Julia Rogers of old is indeed back in full force. And second, she revealed an old promise made between her and Alaina after their first match years ago, that the two would not face each other in the ring again until Julia could prove to both of them that she was ready. She believes that time has come, and extended the challenge to the champion.

The challenge was accepted.

And so once more, after years of their careers taking them in opposite directions, the paths of Alaina Sanders and Julia Rogers are once more set to cross on a major stage, with the highest of stakes. But much has changed since their first clash.

“Last time I was the one with the winning streak, and Alaina was the one fighting to prove she belonged. Now it’s the other way around,” Julia told us. “If you ask me, there’s never been a champion in this league better than Alaina Sanders. That’s what I’m up against. But right now, rocky as the road was getting here, I feel like I’m at the top of my game again. For all I know, this could be the best shot I get at this. And I don’t plan on letting it slip away.”

Alaina has praised the challenger’s resilience, but is confident the result will be the same as their first bout.

“I feel like Julia along with Valley Doll are the two women that can salvage a disaster and turn it to their favor better than any other women in the ring,” she said. “I have the drive, and I can take more punishment though. So far that has won out head to head when we’ve wrestled.”

Alaina has already withstood some of the toughest challengers Friction can throw at her. Will a newly-rejuvenated Julia have what it takes to bring down the champion, or will the Amazon’s might be too much to overcome?

Be sure to tune in to Summer Splash live on pay-per-view to see what happens when the two prodigies clash again!