LadySports ::: NIKKI’S CROSS OF GOLD

NIKKI’S CROSS OF GOLD

The Champ Defends Her Belt - August 27, 2005

by Shiai Mata

The question on almost everyone’s minds for months was… could Nikki Roxx defend her belt?

The Bostonian had displayed genuine technical brilliance when she defeated Pippa L’Vinn for the PGWA Championship this past spring, but as months passed by and she did not put the title on the line against anyone, whispers began to be heard that perhaps the new champ was afraid to risk her belt. These rumors persisted despite the fact that Roxx had been demonstrating week after week in both the U.S. and down in Mexico that she feared no woman (or man).

To many, it began to appear that the ten pounds of leather and gold wrapped around the blonde’s waist was turning into a much heavier cross of gold she had to bear across her back.

Yet, despite the salacious nature of the gossip, there was a legitimate issue at the heart of the matter: Why wasn’t Nikki accepting title challenges? The answer to that, we learned recently, was that her grand plan was to make her very first title defense against perhaps the greatest wrestler to ever hold the belt, Susan Green (see related story). That plan fell through at the last minute, unfortunately, when the Texas Cowgirl fell ill.

To fill Green’s place, the PGWA ultimately turned to Persephone, a woman who has been very popular with the fans since her debut, and a wrestler whom some have predicted will one day be the champion. On Saturday the 27th of August, Persephone would at last get her shot at achieving that dream.

Going into this match, held as a part of Ken Spence’s World Wrestling Association Dream Camp & Legends Wrestling Event, Nikki knew that there was an inordinate amount of attention being paid to this title defense. Her every move would be scrutinized and analyzed, and even the tiniest mistakes she might make would be examined inside and out.

Her decision was simple, then: Don’t make any mistakes, and win this one fast, hard, and decisively.

A crowd of some 300 fans packed into the Thomasville, North Carolina National Guard Armory to witness this match. Persephone, despite not having had the chance to train specifically to take on Roxx, was brimming with confidence. Nikki was uncharacteristically subdued, with all of her attention riveted on her opponent. The champ knew that she could not afford to give the wily challenger the slightest chance of seizing control of the fight.

And she didn’t! Nikki was like a force of nature, tearing into her opponent and literally slamming her from pillar to post! Persephone made a valiant attempt to turn the tide more than once, but she was simply overwhelmed by Roxx, who delivered what could only be called a beat down! In ten minutes, the devastation was over, and Nikki had dispelled whatever rumors there were that she could not retain her title.

Afterwards, the two wrestlers were a study in contrasts: Nikki was rightfully pleased and confident, while Persephone seemed shell shocked. In a post-match interview, Roxx stressed that she always gives 100% of herself in every match. “It doesn’t have to be a PGWA title match at all,” the blond champ said. “I just fight as hard as I can. They expect a championship match from the PGWA Champ, and that’s exactly what they get!”

Commenting on the match itself, Roxx said, “I have a lot of respect for Susan bowing out of the match. I would have done the same thing. Susan would have come to win, but because of her respiratory virus she wouldn’t have been able to give her all. I had trained very hard every day for this match with Green, and quite frankly, Persephone was just not ready for me.”

Breaking a smile, the champion says, “I’m tempted to ask, ‘Who’s Next?’, but that slogan is already taken!”

From her dressing room (where the PGWA interviewer found her laying in the middle of the floor trying to catch her breath), Persephone gave her own impressions of the match. From her demeanor, it was obvious that she was still coming to grips with the fact that she had been overwhelmed so thoroughly by the champ. “This was the most difficult match I have had in about three months, and I guess I had underestimated Nikki’s stamina and toughness. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I really was not ready for this match.”

Yet, she added, “Next time will be different, I promise!”

Persephone certainly deserves all of the credit in the world for making the trip up to Thomasville at the last minute to compete in this match. And perhaps the sting of losing can be lessened a bit if she considers that there might have been no woman in the sport who could have beaten Nikki Roxx on that night.

After four months of waiting, of planning, and of withstanding the slings and arrows of critics who claimed that she was hiding from her challengers, Nikki proved unfalteringly that she is of championship stock, and that when her PGWA crown is on the line, she will not let the burdens of a championship cause her to falter, but instead will wear that gold as a crown.

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