“(MIS)
MATCH OF THE CENTURY?”
By Geoff Brantholder
VS
A stunt.
A joke.
A mistake.
Those are just a few of the adjectives used by fans to describe Chrissy
Daniel’s pending match against Megan Lilly.
As regular readers of GLADIATRIX know, Ms. Daniel took exception to a
recent article in which the magazine categorized her…at this present time…as
overrated. In her rather uniquely eloquent response, she dared this publication
to name an opponent whom she could not beat. Rising to the challenge of this
rare opportunity, Editor Charlie Wembley accepted Ms. Daniel’s dare.
There was a great deal of spirited discussion in the editorial offices as
to just whom GLADIATRIX should name. Virtually every noteworthy woman in FAWN
was suggested. In the end, it was Ms. Wembley herself who selected the woman who
would face the Killer Imp.
Megan Lilly.
To say that the announcement of Lilly as Daniel’s opponent was met with
rousing support would be a blatant lie. Mail sent to the magazine regarding the
selection of the youngster ran somewhere in the neighborhood of 98% against her
selection. Just a smattering of the comments we received include:
“You idiots! You had the perfect chance to shut that sawed-off runt’s
mouth once and for all, and you gave her a gimme!”
And…
“My grandmother could give Daniel a better challenge…and she’s been dead
for 17 years.”
And…
“Who the hell is Megan Lilly, some cheerleader you picked up at the
nearest high school? Chrissy is gonna eat her alive!”
One caller to a radio sports program seemed to encapsulate all of the
criticism most effectively when he said, “I’m just afraid that they passed up
the opportunity to make Daniel put up or shut up. I just don’t see how a rookie
like Lilly can give a former champ like the Imp a real challenge.”
Fair enough. Megan Lilly is a largely unknown quality to the average fan,
so it’s not as if we weren’t expecting resistance to our choice.
But let us also share with you a few words from another letter we
received: “I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and I have been a fan of wrestling for
nearly thirty years. I have religiously attended every F2 show, and it has been
my pleasure to see both Anciline de Cyr and Krystal Erway develop into two of
the most exciting new prospects in the entire sport. I also firmly believe that
several other women currently working in F2 are destined for greatness in the
very near future, and at the top of that list is Megan Lilly. It was very wise
of you to pick her, and its gratifying to know that you’re keeping an eye on the
talent down here.”
But we didn’t just pick Megan because she’s a budding young star. We chose
her because we firmly believe she has the tools to not only give Chrissy Daniel
a great match, but in the end, to put the Killer Imp down for the three count.
Key to understanding Chrissy is to know that she does not enter into any
match with the same mindset of any of her opponents. To women such as Shea
London, Portia Van Buren, Juliet Bloodwind and others, a wrestling match is just
that…a match. Yes, in FAWN a match can and usually does venture into realms of
violence unheard of in most other organizations. But still, when all is said and
done, a match ends and the referee declares a winner, and that…more or less…is
that.
But Chrissy Daniel is NOT a wrestler. She is a street fighter, a brawler,
a…dare we say it…gladiatrix. She only got into pro wrestling after having risen
to the top and ruled her own particular universe, the world of illegal beach
fighting. For Chrissy, such a fight was a case of kill or be killed, for she
knew that should she be defeated, there would be to official there to call a
halt to the battle. Which was motivation enough to ensure that she never lost.
And the Imp still goes into her FAWN matches today with that mindset,
ready and eager to give every last drop of sweat and blood to win. And while she
doesn’t always come away victorious, she always…ALWAYS…gives her opponents all
the fight they can handle.
It will comes as a surprise to many to learn that Megan Lilly is cut from
the same cloth. Daniel got her start out in Southern California, an underage
hellion who entered the exotic world of illegal beach brawling. On the other
side of the continent a few years later, an equally minor Megan Lilly threw
herself bodily into the underground catfighting circuit. Both girls learned
their trade, paying for their knowledge with a physical cost that would break
the spirits of most people.
But not Chrissy Daniel, and not Megan Lilly.
It is our learned belief that both of these warriors tend to rise to the
level of their opponents, and both have displayed sheer brilliance when facing
women of brilliance.
Come April the 17th, Daniel and Lilly will each be facing the most
brilliant challenger imaginable…each other.
Match of the Century? Well, 95 years from now, we’re pretty damned sure
the historians will still be talking about this battle!