In spite of her undeniable talent and unquenchable determination, Jamie knew it would take months to climb the ladder of success in the HWA, rung by arduous rung. And she was far too impatient to wait for the glory that must be hers. The plan she concocted was deceptively simple...and brutal. First, ignoring the conventional wisdom that newcomers should never start off against any opponent higher-ranked than a mid-carder, Jaime leveled a challenge at Cameron Diaz, one of the HWA's top-rated women, who was due to get a shot at Halle Berry's title.

In a fair confrontation, even Jamie conceded the veteran Cameron could probably beat her...which was why Jaime made damned sure it wasn't a fair fight. Blind-siding Cameron before the opening bell, she never once let up in her attack. What was supposed to be a wrestling match became a one-sided domination. When it was over, Jaime stood victorious over her hapless opponent - and had made her presence known in the HWA.

The next stage in Jamie’s plan called for a shot at Halle's title as soon as possible. Jamie knew that an important factor in her hope for winning would be the champion's relative unfamiliarity with the blonde and the intricacies of her ring style. But the longer Jamie wrestled in the league, the more chances Halle would have to study her and to find flaws which she could exploit in their match. Therefore, time was of the essence...Jamie had to get her shot at the champ quickly.

Unfortunately, a title shot wasn’t hers for the asking. Despite her victory over Diaz, Jamie was still too new to advance beyond the lower reaches of the rankings and tradition dictated that only Top Ten wrestlers got championship bids. The champ could offer a shot to anyone, of course, but she had no incentive to grant such a gift to Jamie. Therefore, Jaime had to force Halle's hand and make the champ herself demand a match with the newcomer.

While Halle herself was...for the moment...beyond Jamie's reach, the champ had an Achilles Heel - Rosario Dawson. The young brunette was Halle’s protégé and tag team partner as well as her “close friend.” She’d only been in the league a few months but had already amassed an impressive number of victories. Jaime made certain her follow-up match to the destruction of Diaz was Rosario Dawson!

Having seen what Jaime did to Cameron, Rosario was prepared for a sneak attack. But Jamie didn't need such tactics; her several years' worth of experience in Latin American rings made her more than a match for the spirited, but inexperienced, rookie. Rosario put up a valiant fight, but she never really stood a chance.

Within minutes, Jaime could have ended the match at her leisure. However, she continued to torture Rosario cruelly; she’d repeatedly put Rosario's shoulders down to the canvas for the pin, and then pull her up at the last minute to inflict more punishment. The crowd booed lustily, but Jamie seemed to love the hatred cascading down upon her. She was only really concerned with an audience of one, whom she knew was watching on the monitor in her private suite.

Referee Cheryl Ladd literally begged Rosario to submit, but she stubbornly refused which suited Jaime just fine as she continued to demolish her foe with increasingly brutal moves. Finally, she snared the now-bloodied brunette in an abdominal stretch and Rosario's screams pierced the arena's air. The vanquished beauty finally went limp, too battered to cling to consciousness any longer. The official called for the bell...but Jaime refused to release her!

Prolonged application of the abdominal stretch could cause serious damage to both muscle and the spine, possibly serious enough to put Rosario out of wrestling forever. Halle couldn't sit back watching any longer and she bolted out of her suite and ran down to the ring. Sliding under the bottom rope, she popped to her feet and grabbed Jamie to pull her off Rosario. Jaime released her hold and, as Dawson fell to the mat like a rag doll, Jamie ignored her for her real target had just walked into her trap!

Halle was consumed by rage, calling Jamie every name she could think of (the HWA censor was working overtime to bleep out the stream of expletives which poured out of the furious Champion's mouth, the fragile sensibilities of viewing audience only spared by the seven second delay separating the event from live broadcast to the living rooms of North America). But instead of returning ire with ire, the blonde merely stood there, hands imperiously on her hips and an arrogant sneer on her face. The sight only infuriated the passionate champion further.

Finally, Jamie said, "You talk a good fight, but that seems to be all you're good at."

That touched a nerve with Halle, who tempestuously shot back, "I’d kick your ass anytime, bitch!"

Jamie had her hooked, now she had to play the line.

"I don't think you're worth my time in the ring," the blond said icily. "Everyone knows it's only a fluke that you're even champion. Why should I even waste the effort on you?"

The sepia beauty's eyes narrowed into angry slits, "You want to see what kind of champion I am? Let's find out right now."

Jaime smiled slightly as she nodded to Ladd the official, signaling her acceptance of the challenge. The bewildered referee looked askance at Halle, but the champion tersely said, "Just ring the damned bell."

It was her prerogative as the champ to grant a title match to whomever she deemed worthy. The confrontation was unorthodox, but still within the rules of the HWA. Instantly, Halle realized she’d been played but she didn't care...she was a good wrestler, a great champion, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let this punk ass get away with games like this. She’d teach Jamie a lesson in humility, then return to her dressing room to prepare for her real title match with Catherine Bell, scheduled for later in the broadcast.

Hell, Halle wouldn't even go back to her dressing room to change out of her street clothes into her ring togs. She merely kicked off her shoes and reminded herself that she could always buy another Ben di Lisi mini-dress if this one got torn in the match. What's $3000, after all?

In the few seconds left before the start of the impromptu match, Halle for the first time gave her opposite number an appraisal. Her body was undeniably toned; not an ounce of unnecessary fat on her. A light patina of perspiration caused her skin to glisten under the arena's lights.

But most striking were her eyes, which bespoke of supreme confidence tinged with cruelty. The champ was a keen enough observer to realize that Jamie certainly seemed to have all of the attributes of a dangerous competitor. But so far, Jaime's FWA career had consisted of sneak attacking a veteran and beating up a rookie. Halle wasn't about to let the blonde blindside her, and she was no newcomer, so the brunette was utterly confident she could handle Jamie with relative ease. After all, she didn't rise to the championship by being anything less than excellent in the ring. Jamie, she was determined, was about to learn just how excellent...to her regret.

Jamie could feel the champ's piercing gaze and since she’d plotted long and hard to reach this moment, she couldn't suppress a Cheshire smile of satisfaction. And the angrier Halle became, the better, for it increased the odds of the skillful champion making a fatal mistake. So, Jaime maintained her icy cool demeanor, knowing it was infuriating the fiery brunette to no end.

Finally, the bell rang. Halle, for all of her fury, was savvy enough to be cautious. She and Jaime slowly circled, searching for an opening. Eventually, they drew close enough to lock up. They strained against one another for several moments while each silently plotted their strategies.

It was the upstart blonde who struck first, stomping her booted heel down hard on Halle's bare toes. The champ, not used to fighting barefoot, had overlooked this particular weakness and she now paid the price. As Halle's focus was momentarily broken by the pain in her foot, Jamie snared her in a side headlock. Tightening her arm like a steel band, she began grinding away at her foe as Halle grunted and braced her feet, preparing to shove her foe off in order to try and break the hold. But the blonde wasn't about to give the champ a chance to counterattack.

With sudden swiftness, Jaime released the headlock, grabbed Halle by the left wrist, and with one adroit twist, jacked the brunette's arm up high behind her back in a hammerlock. Halle gritted her teeth and slapped at her shoulder to try and dull the pain. Internally she fumed, mad at herself for allowing the newcomer to set the pace of the fight but she was also considering her options, preparing her reversal.

Jamie could feel Halle’s body tensing, preparing to strike back. Keeping the champion off-balance and unable to counterattack was the cornerstone of the blonde's offense, the best chance she’d have of wearing her down and scoring an upset win. She couldn't afford to let Halle mount an offensive of her own so, in order to keep the champ guessing as to what might come next, Jaime unexpectedly released the hammerlock, spun Halle around and raked her nails across Halle's eyes.

The title holder staggered back, momentarily blinded...and wide open for attack! Jamie landed a kick hard into the brunette's lower abdomen, doubling Halle over at the waist. A swinging neckbreaker brought her to the mat, where Jamie tried for a pin but it was too early in the match for Halle to be taken out, and she kicked out at the count of one.

Halle scrambled to her feet...only to be brought down to the canvas again, this time courtesy of Jamie's dropkick. One foot hit Halle in the chest, the other in the jaw and both felt like sledgehammers! The champ shook her head to try and clear the sudden cobwebs but the fog in her brain suddenly dissipated due to an electric jolt of pain in her left leg as Jamie began twisting and yanking it, punctuating her hold with kicks to the knee and thigh.

Jaime wasn't simply trying to inflict pain...she was purposely hoping to tear the hamstring muscle, which would not only end the fight then and there, but also put the beleaguered Halle out of wrestling for a good six months. There were lines of propriety in the sport which even the most hardened adversaries didn't cross, but Jamie didn't care less about propriety; she’d come to the HWA to WIN - by any means necessary!

Again, the longer Jaime maintained a specific hold, the more damage it inflicted but it also gave the wily Halle more opportunity to turn the tide, something Jamie couldn’t risk. So, even though she was clearly putting Halle in some serious hurt with her leg hold, she suddenly flipped the champ over on her stomach and turned the hold into a half-Boston crab. Halle, still in pain, beat her fists on the mat, but at least the risk to her hamstring was lessened.

Referee Ladd asked the champ if she wanted to submit but the very idea of giving up, of verbally relinquishing her prized title, without having made a serious fight of her own was galling and she refused to even consider it. And as much as she wanted to win the belt, Jamie was hoping the match would go longer for she wanted to embarrass the champion as much as possible before she took the title from her.

Bored with the half-Boston crab, Jaime released the battered leg and stood up. Ignoring her pain, Halle tried to get to her hands and knees, but a stomp to the small of her back knocked her face-down on the mat. Jamie didn't want to keep Halle on the mat and a handful of hair brought her quickly back to her feet. The champ, bedazzled by the ever-changing nature of Jamie’s assault, was helpless as Jamie Irish Whipped her to the ropes.

Halle careened off of the cables back towards the blonde and Jaime again displayed her high flying prowess as she snared the sepia-skinned beauty in a flying head scissors; snapping her down with a sharp twist of her legs. As soon as they hit the mat, Jamie snaked her powerful legs around Halle’s middle in a body scissors. Halle grimaced as the vice drew tight around her ribs; she felt as if she were being cut in half. Desperately, she tugged at Jamie’s ankles, trying to pry them loose.

Abruptly, Jaime grabbed her by her short hair to aid in leverage and, with a grunt, lifted the champ up off of the canvas, only to bring her crashing down again with a keister bump, sending a bolt of pain shooting up Halle's spine. Jamie administered a second and a third until Halle's head swayed back and forth from the paralyzing anguish, her face twisted in a mask of pain.

The ringside commentators were very nearly stunned into silence. They’d never seen Halle being so thoroughly overwhelmed. Indeed, she was usually the predator in her matches, not the cat's-paw, but Jaime had clearly concocted a winning strategy and it appeared it was about to pay off in the biggest dividend in the sport.

Deciding that it was time to finish this match once and for all, Jamie released the scissors and stood up, again pulling her unwilling prey up with her by the hair. Halle's eyes were glazed over, dazed as much by the unreality of the moment as she was by the injuries she’d suffered. Halle had never been so thoroughly dominated before and she quite literally couldn’t handle it mentally.

Jaime put her hands on her hips and looked Halle up and down as she wavered unsteadily before, a disapproving frown on her face. Halle stood with her shoulders slumped forward, slack-jawed, swaying slowly on her feet, her defenses down. It would be an easy thing to put her away now but Jamie wasn't about to make it so easy for the champion.

Grabbing Halle's expensive mini-dress in both hands, Jaime violently tore the garment away, leaving the champion in the center of the ring in nothing but a burgundy satin bra and panties to the delight of the crowd! Halle looked down dumbly at her disrobed body, too shocked to do anything but stare for long moments. When she lifted her head up again to look at Jamie, she felt the stinging slap of the blonde's palm across her cheek. The blow jerked Halle's head to the side, sending a spray of perspiration which glittered in the bright arena lights. This was Jamie's intent, to humiliate and demoralize the champion before taking away her title. It would send a strong warning to all others in the league.

Further mocking her foe, Jamie wiped the sweat from her brow with the tattered rag in her hand before she flung it into the crowd, where a pack of spectators scrambled for the trophy. Next, a punch to the belly doubled Halle over. Jaime pulled Halle’s head between her thighs and wrapped her arms around Halle's waist, setting her up for a piledriver. This would be her coup de grace and Jamie turned to Cheryl Ladd and told her, "Make this a ten count, because this bimbo isn't going anywhere!"

But then, with an unexpected burst of power, however, Halle suddenly stood up, sending the startled Jaime up and over her head to the canvas. Jamie crashed down on her head and lay stunned! Drawing on the last vestiges of strength and her years of experience, Halle unleashed a blazing offensive of her own, straddling the blonde to rain punches down on her face and head. Jamie's eyes rolling back as the jackhammer blows struck again and again. Then the brunette jerked Jamie to her feet by the hair, only to drop the blonde back down with a Stunner.

Now it was Halle's turn to try for a cover, but she was unable to keep Jamie for more than a count of two. Undaunted, she again grabbed Jamie by her long mane to pull her up...and was caught by a vicious forearm up into her crotch. Halle's eyes widened as she howled in agony, then she collapsed slowly to the mat.

Jaime was decidedly unhappy. Her plan didn't call for Halle gaining the upper hand, no matter how briefly. She’d wanted to thoroughly dominate the champion from first bell to last, but Halle had upset that. Now, the look of anger on her face was frightening. As badly as she wanted to make Halle suffer, Jamie realized it was too risky to let the match go on any longer. She was hurting now and Halle had proven she could take advantage of the smallest opportunity. Her best strategy was to pin the champ, win the match, and then work Halle over after the bell!

Scooping up the aching brunette, Jaime delivered her back to the canvas with a body slam, Halle's body quivered as she lay prone on the mat, a most inviting target. Jamie climbed the turnbuckles in the corner to the top rope. Then, in a magnificent move, she back flipped through the air and came crashing down upon her target. As her body arced, she was a vision of gracefulness, a testament to her amazing athletic abilities. The blonde's 'Angel's Crush' signature finisher had won more than a few matches for her in the past, and it looked like it would suffice again.

Ladd slapped her hand down once, twice...and then stopped just before the third and final count. Jaime was simply unable to let this moment pass too quickly and she’d grabbed Halle by the hair to pull her shoulders up from the mat at the last possible moment. The sinister blonde wasn't done playing yet!

Again, Jamie took her spot in the corner to the deafening roar of the thousands of fans in the arena. Even those who despised the blonde for what she’d done to their beloved champion couldn't help but respect her this night. Smiling, Jaime raised her arms in a victory gesture and yelled, "Take a good look at your new champion!" She then leapt into the air again, the epitome of agility.

Except this time, when she came down, she found that Halle had managed to bring her knees up, catching the blonde full in the abdomen and knocking the wind out of her. It was Jaime's first real mistake of the match...she had forgotten her strategy of ever-shifting maneuvers and had repeated herself. Knowing what to expect the second time around, the battered champion had struck back.

Now, both beauties were struggling to remain conscious, each commanding her protesting body to obey her wishes. It was Halle who managed to move first. Functioning almost purely on instinct, she dragged herself to her prone opponent and wrapped her up in a small package...deftly using a fistful of tights to keep Jamie from thrashing free. It was a cheap win, but the record book doesn't make any such distinctions. All it would record was that Halle Berry retained her title this night.

The champion didn't wait around to enjoy the victory. As soon as the bell rung, she rolled out of the ring under the bottom rope and stumbled back up the aisle, her legs occasionally faltering as she walked. Returning to the safety of her suite, she canceled the scheduled match with Cat Bell and brooded over these unexpected events. There would be ramifications from this night.

As for Jamie, when she finally gathered her wits, she was furious, shoving the solicitous Cheryl Ladd aside and stalking around the ring like a wounded tigress, hurling epithets at the jeering ringside spectators who had just as quickly as they embraced her, turned on her now that she was once more a ‘loser.’ The title had been in her grasp, only to be plucked away at the final instant. And yet, she knew Halle hadn't really beaten her; rather she’d beaten herself by deviating from her strategy.

While the blonde no longer held the element of surprise over Halle, she believed she had Halle's number nonetheless and, thanks to her impressive performance and the brunette's tainted win, she now had the political leverage in the league to demand a match for the belt and soon. All she needed was a plan....