Tension 24/7 Title Match: Carmen Rodriguez(C) Vs. Clyde Gastin

Carmen did not appreciate being called a bitch, but she was willing to just let it go and assume that was the pain talking on Clyde's part. She wasn't one to curse often, but she was rapidly approaching the point where a few foul words might slip out. It was that sort of match.

She fell on her butt and rubbed her side, hissing as she felt over the bones in her chest. Carmen had enough broken ribs in her life to know one when she felt one, and her chest was sporting at least two, now - a clear indication that she needed to end this soon before someone's career was dramatically shortened.

She moved back towards him with open arms, looking to grab his leg for an ankle lock. Unfortunately, that put her in prime position for what Clyde had coming her way next: a hearty kick in the face. The room rang with the sound of a crack as his boot met her jaw, and Carmen was sent stumbling backward with her arms flailing. She tripped over a weight bench and did a hard tumble, crashing down hard on her back with her legs drapped over. Very unflattering position.

The hard crack of Carmen's jaw against his boot let Clyde know he had a direct hit on the boxer. He stumbled up to his feet clumsy and slumped against a wall, spotting a steel folding chair beside him.

He breathed heavily, having fought Carmen and then Army, he was far from fresh, beat up a lot all over and the strike on his back still ached.

"...Ahhhh...." Everything ached and he just had to let out a cry for it. "AHHH!!!" He cried out again, grabbing the chair and carrying it his side while he came running towards Carmen and the weight bench, getting a foot on it, he jumped into the air and placed the chair under his leg, trying to slam all himself down onto Carmen's face with a steel chair covered ass! A flying Steel Chair leg Drop From Hell!"

As Carmen opened her bleary eyes and looked around the room, she saw the referee and the cameraman by the door, not wanting to come any closer unless a pin needed to be counted. Smart move, after what had happened to her predecessor. With all the easily throwable, heavy metal objects laying around, anybody who came in the room was asking for a concussion. Carmen included.

She couldn't see Clyde moving around, but she could hear him as he screamed, and she knew that if he was attacking her now, he would be soon. She didn't have to wait long, either - Carmen had already started to slide off the bench when she looked up and saw Clyde crashing down on her with a chair, and all of his weight behind it.

"Jesus!"

Carmen rolled out of the way, moving faster than she had ever done for anything in her entire fighting career.

Clyde was airborne trying to put the squash on Carmen and end the fight. He certainty didn't want to cause any permanent damage but if a flying chair drop to the face did the job then it would have to do. He refused to lose his last chance at making it big.

Sadly though, he hit nothing but floor. CLANG! echoed the chair as it and Clyde struck the ground. "Nnh!!" Clyde grunted, rolling off the chair to nurse his rump as he stumbled over towards the wall away from Carmen.

Carmen summoned her reseves and used a nearby weight rack to pull herself back up to her feet, just as Clyde was stumbling towards the wall. She grit her teeth and pushed off after him, coming at her from behind and grabbing him by the shoulder, digging her nails into his skin without even really thinking about. Maybe a little spite.

Carmen spun him around and unloaded in his face with a sharp right hook, making sure to put her body weight into the blow to get the maximum amount of force. "Drop!"

Clyde was stumbling but he could hear Carmen rushing for him, he was trying to recover but he was more than ready for her. When he felt his shoulder grabbed he was roughly turned to face her, but the second it happened, Clyde had his fist cocked back. He let loose a straight right hand, trying to deck Carmen right between the eyes...

What didn't count on though, was Carmen's strike.

In an instant, Clyde felt a second latin fist PLOW across his cheek right as he threw his own punch. Her fist slamming across his jaw, whipping his head side ways as his eyes rolled up, his head rocking limply left to right before he crumbled to the floor, sprawled out and unmoving.

Carmen reeled back with her other fist as soon as the last one landed, preparing another furious strike to nail Clyde with. She had a few more good ones to throw, and she had no problem with hitting him with all of them. She said she'd go down defending the belt with everything she had, and that was a promise she could make good on.

She threw a left hook, lunged into it, jerked forward and wound up hitting nothing but dead air.

Carmen brought her arms up, quick and tight, thinking Clyde had dodged and institutionally going on the defense, expecting a counterattack. It never came. A second passed. Two. Three. She finally looked down, and there she saw Clyde, the former champion, the veteran Tension wrestler, laid out at her feet. Knocked cold.

She took a few steps back and sat down on the nearest weight bench, dropping her arms to the side and take the most full, complete breath she'd had in minutes. The referee rushed in to check on Clyde, and Carmen slowly slumped down as she watched. Not even sure how to properly react. A lifetime of fighting, and she couldn't remember any match that had taken more out of her.

"He's out?" The disbelief was clear in her voice. She almost expected Clyde to pop back up and come at her at any moment. Wouldn't be the most surprising thing that happened to her today, by any stretch.

Clyde had fought hard against Carmen and Army but the two battles had taken their toll on him. As the ref girl girl came over, she lifted up his wrist and let it drop before calling for the the 'bell' and ruling Carmen the winner as The Cowboy was not getting up!

There was no bell, but all she could do was call for the end of the bout as the battered cowboy was clearly unable to battle. If he was awake he'd be begging for more of a fight, but right now he was silent.

Carmen sat and stared at Clyde's lifeless body, processing the moment. It was an odd feeling. It almost didn't feel like she'd won - there was no fanfare, no bell, no announcer, no roaring crowd. None of the usual touches she'd grown accustomed to after winning a match.

It was just...over.

The referee came over, grabbed Carmen's wrist and lifted her hand into the air. "AFW Universe! Your winner and still 24/7 Champion, Carmen-"

Before the referee could finish, Carmen's body finally gave out. She fell off the bench and flopped down on her front, only a few feet away from Clyde. Bruised, battered, and bloodied.

But, most importantly, victorious.

Clap... Clap... Clap...

The slow purposeful sound echoed through the luxurious room from the entrance way and soon Belle B. Barker, followed shortly behind it, looking at the downed battlers. She looked to Carmen first and smiled. "Well, not the outcome I'd have preferred, buuut, I knew there was a reason that I liked ya. True grit's what they call it where I'm from." She said easily and then stepped over to Clyde

She knelt down next to him and frowned, reaching out and running her fingers gently through his blonde hair. "Oooh, Clyde." She said softly. "Ya tried yer best, I s'pose." She said thoughtfully and reached up to yank his arm in the air and pull it over his shoulder.

"Rrrgh!" She grunted with a strain. "Up ya go ya heavy sonnuvagun!"