On Saturday the 19th of February, JWA-United Women's World Champion, Ariel, faced what may well have been her greatest challenge. Having held the belt for a remarkable 28 months, Ariel would now be putting it on the line against Cindy Rogers, a wrestler whom many observers felt had the tools, the drive and the aggressiveness to bring Ariel's title reign to a screeching halt.
Now, in a LadySports Online exclusive, Ariel discusses in her own words the battle that ensued between her and the Number One Contender!
Going into this match, the champ knew that she couldn't rely solely on her physical skills...she would have to use her brains as well: "I had to outsmart her right from the start."
And her plan seemed to be working at first. But Cindy is as canny an opponent as anyone will face in the ring, and it wasn't long before she was clever enough to get the upper hand. It's then that the challenger revealed her own battle plans. "She started working my back," Ariel recalls. "She worked my back the whole match...just working various backbreakers, a lot of forearms and kicks to the back."
Ariel fought back, and the action seesawed between the two combatants for five minutes, then ten and more. The champ couldn't help but be impressed with her opponent's abilities: "Her offense included forearms, slams, submissions to my arms, a Facebuster, Russian Leg Sweep, and some random heel moves." Cindy's offensive was clearly costing the champion, and the fans began to seriously wonder if they were about to see the gold change hands.
But Ariel was far from helpless. "I hit her with a couple of shoulder tackles, a Northern Lights Suplex, Fisherwoman's Suplex, a snapmare into a dropkick, and a Shining Wizard to the back of the head," the brunette happily adds, "which the crowd liked."
As the action swerved back and forth between them, there were a couple of close calls for both women. Rogers came within a hair's breadth of victory when she nailed Ariel with her infamous chokeslam, but the champ managed to kick out before the referee could slap his hand to the canvas for the third time.
At one point, Ariel made her move to win the fight with her patented Northern Lights to a bridge pin. But it was at this point when Cindy's strategy of working the champ's back so much really paid off for Rogers. "I almost got the pin," reports Ariel. "But the fact that she worked my back the whole time took its toll on me. When I went to bridge her, my back gave out. So, I tried to use a regular pin, but she kicked out."
Injured and exhausted, the champ knew that she couldn't let this fight go much longer. She either had to put Rogers down for the count soon, or else she might never get the chance later on. In a bold gamble, Ariel decided to go for broke.
"I hit her with my Dariel, which is a modified Ace Crusher," says the brunette. That did the trick, and Cindy's shoulders stayed to the mat for the count of three. But it was a very near win for the champ, literally a case of plucking victory from the jaws of impending doom.
However, the battle wasn't over yet.
"After the match," says the champion, "I tried to show her some sportsmanship and put my hand out to her in respect. But she refused to shake it, and then we started brawling, which led to the whole locker room having to come out to break us up!"
Whatever respect which Cindy earned in Ariel's eyes during their match was largely obliterated by her post-match actions. And one things for sure...the JWA-United Champion isn't going to soon forget it. "It's not over between me and Cindy Rogers," Ariel says in a voice of steely resolve. "I beat her fair and square, and she couldn't accept the fact that I won."
We here at LadySports Online strongly suspect that the Ariel/Cindy Rogers feud will be igniting rings for a long time to come!