Post by Johanna Krieger on Mar 31, 2019 23:57:08 GMT -5
“Who’s next?”
Johanna Krieger sat on the edge of the pool in Cancun Mexico, a beautiful little holiday spot that Johanna chose to unwind and think. See, the last two months had been a blur. Non-stop action. She had gone from just training and doing spot shows to working for two companies that were giving her exposure and a name. And since she signed with both Union and IPW she had an almost spotless record.
Almost….
Her one loss, the one blemish was to Kimitsu Zombie. A woman who was tough, vicious, a champion and many would say, one of the best. Every other match Johanna had, whether it be in Union or IPW she won. Her stock had risen and even in defeat, she had looked good against the Trench War champion. She always put it all on the line. But after two months of traveling and fighting, winning matches and watching as fans started to recognize and respect the name, she talked to her trainer Alex Jones. And he had told her that something as important as working hard…
Was relaxing.
Knowing when your body, mind, heart, and soul needed time. The sun beat down on her body as her sunglasses kept her eyes protected. Her heavily tattooed and muscled body tanning a little at poolside as people walked by. Many people admiring her body art, some even admiring the body it was on. Johanna didn’t seem to notice as she kicked her legs in the clear water, the sun reflecting off the wavy surface..
“I asked the question but it was more rhetorical. It was a question of where am I going if I have already gotten to a point where I must look back. See I signed up to join Union Battleground under the pretense that people like Cyrus Riddle, Elena DeDraca and Finn Whelan would be here, but as they have taken time off I have to look around and who we have left. Mikey Svarro has disappeared too and as such, any shot at him has gone too. I stepped in the ring with Nathan Turner, something that seems has come full circle. I won that debut and proved I belonged. I belonged here, I belonged in marquee matches, I belonged at the top.”
“And in my second match, well, that was obvious.”
“I went toe to toe with Kimitsu Zombie, and even though she walked out with her title, even though she got to raise her hand high, she didn’t escape scars being left on her to remember me by. In fact, I’m sure whenever she looks at her hair or feels that little tender spot on her head Kimi will remember me.”
Johanna couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. The thought of tieing Kimi to the ropes, the fact there was blood, hair, and skin all about the ring. It amused her. The German-born superstar folding her arms over her chest before clearing her throat and continuing.
“I wonder if Maverick will remember me?. Or if his concussed brain will not allow him too?. I mean he forgot he had to promote the match he was in, forgot to back up his immature laughter. And you see, that angered me. I put a tremendous amount of effort into my career. I knew no one cared about the match between myself and Maverick, because he was barely around and no one actually cares about him, his other company or his past in Union.”
“So I went about promoting my match, the event itself and myself. And all that silly little twit could muster in a week and a half was a half-hearted laugh. But now the dust is settled and we’re about to go into the very next event, I have to ask you Mr. Maverick, WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?. Cause it sure as shit ain’t you. But with all these lower life forms in Union and some of the better more prolific members leaving I had almost lost hope. Sure we have Alyssa Daniels, we have Kaven Drell, we have Kimitsu Zombie, we have an undead mummy. But, we also have the Hellcat Spangled Death Squad. Lisa Seldon and Anastasia Hayden. Now that, that is exciting.”
“But, am I facing either of those amazing warriors?. Am I facing Drell or Daniels? Am I facing the mummy?. No, instead I have a rematch o0f sorts. And not even one I want with Kimi. No, I have a match with Nathan Turner. The “Everyman” I defeated when I first came to Union. Now, don’t get me wrong, I will fight anyone and everyone. Whoever my bosses in Union want to see me face. But this isn’t a step forward. It’s a step back. Since out meeting Turner and I have both gone one and one. One win and one loss a piece. In fact, you might say we have mirrored one another. I lost to Kimi, he lost to Drell, we both had wins over people who were beneath us. But…..the fact remains...I have already beaten him….”
Johanna scoffs and slides her legs from the water getting to her feet. Her black swimsuit sticking to her body as her muscles ripple and moved. She pulls up a bottle of water taking a sip before sitting on a sunbed as people keep moving around her staring at her as an oddity as she is speaking to someone filming all this on a cellphone to post to various social media.
“For you Nathan Turner this is a chance to right a wrong in your eyes. To get into the ring and prove that in this world of Union, in this company where there are killers and sharks that you are one of them and that you deserve to be counted in the best of the best. See if you win, if you are able to keep me down for ten seconds and win the “last “man” standing” match, Then we will no only have matchi9ng two and two records but our own personal record will be a win a piece. It may lead to a third match but if I’m honest I don’t like your chances.”
“See I9 want to keep clawing and scraping my way to the top. I want to get there and face the best of the best. You showed promise and showed that you still have some of that fire from when you were younger and that there is still some of the old fire in the “Everyman”, But against me. That means nothing. Union will be my playground, my battleground, my chance to face some of the best and the fact I have to go against you again so soon is an annoyance to me. I should be facing Drell or Daniels or even Zombie, hell they could put me in the ring with literally anyone else and I would view it as just another chance to climb the ladder.”
“But another match with you?”
“All this does is give me a reason to beat you down again, but this time Nathan it would be just a match. It won’t be me trying to get you dizzy enough to pin you for a three count.”
“It won’t be me trying to get you to tap.”
“No Mr. Turner. This time you need to be immobilized for ten seconds and this should scare you. I could hit you with my knee over and over again till you don’t get up, I could stomp your head into the mat till you go limp. I could break your legs so you can’t stand up. Or, and this is my favorite. I could wrap my arm around your neck, squeeze the carotid arteries until the black slowly slides over your eyes and I put you to sleep.”
“I’m going to assume you know what that feels like since you have been around long enough.”
“That is what I want to do to you, Nathan. I want to make an emphatic statement of intent to show everyone backstage, especially the powers that be, that Johanna Krieger is the future. And what better way than to slowly watch as the life and fight fade out of your body until the referee pulls me off you and counts to ten. What better way than to have me standing above you, war paint on, that scowl on my face and the entire crowd chanting “KRIEGER”?. I’m not going to deny that you’ll fight Nathan, I know you will, you’ll try, you’ll fall, you’ll fail. And I will celebrate my victory…”
Johanna sneers before sliding a weathered Metallica “And justice for all” shirt over her upper body before the screen feed cuts.
