For both women, this was their most important match. Diane Hunter, a former Intercondiminium champion was struggling back along the comeback trail after suffering a broken leg months before. Her opponent, Donna Dixxon, had become the tough-luck girl of the promotion. Despite great effort and strategic planning, Dixxon had suffered a consecutive loss streak that brought her to the brink of being reassigned to the provisional training ranks. With the influx of new talent within the promotion, a number of roster cuts are taking place. With their recent problems, both girls were targeted as candidates for the chopping block. As such, this match was designated a “loser leaves ACW match.”
Dixxon started out with a sense of immediate desperation, launching herself at Hunter and maneuvering in back of her to obtain a one-armed guillotine choke-hold.
Diane Hunter seemed to expect the attack and quickly maneuvered away, corkscrewing her upper body until her head slipped out of Dixxon’s grasp. When Donna lost her balance, Hunter wasted no time in countering, reaching out with her legs and a leg-scissors hold to Donna’s neck.
As Dixxon struggled to push her opponent off, Hunter pulled on the side of the bed to gain better leverage and counter-twisted, forcing Donna’s head to sink further into the bed. Dixxon made the mistake of trying to turn her head in an attempt to escape and ended up with her face pressed directly into the mattress.
When Hunter loosened her held ever so slightly, Dixxon thought she saw an opportunity for escape, and lunged forward. Hunter, however, has loosened her hold hoping that Donna would move forward. She immediately regained control, forcing her leg deeper into the space between Dixxon’s shoulder and and chin, gaining much better leverage to choke her.
Hunter varied her efforts, leaning forward and then back, keeping Dixxon from being able to try to escape from the front or the back. While this proved effective in sustaining her attack, it prevented Diane from maintaining her balance and she was unable to continue the hold for a sufficient period of time.
Diane decided, instead, that Dixxon was now vulnerable. Releasing her chokehold, she whirled around in back of Donna, pulling harshly on both of her arms. She then crossed her feet and pushed them against the back of Dixxon’s head and neck. The maneuver served to force added leverage as she yanked painfully back on Donna’s arms while at the same time straining Dixxon’s upper back and neck.
Hunter, sensing that she had now applied a hold that was inescapable, leaned back, knowing with little more effort on her part, she was putting Dixxon in excruciating pain. Dixxon, in frantic straight recognized that despite the pain, her career in ACW was in jeopardy. She refused to submit, despite Diane admonishing her to do so. For more than two minutes she resisted Diane’s hold, praying that her own will could outlast that of Hunter.
Hunter, working like a machine, released her hold and swiftly moved in for the kill. Mounting Dixxon from above, Diane locked on a leg-scissors hold around Dixxon’s waist while also applying a masterful chokehold. The combination proved simply too much. Donna Dixxon had no choice but to weakly tap out.
Diane Hunter proved herself to be the better competitor, putting together an impressive collection of moves to ensure her win. While commendable, she will still have a number of other obstacles to overcome to retain her spot within the promotion. For Donna Dixxon, however, her time with ACW has come to an end, at least for the near future. Perhaps she suffered from the burden of great potential and even greater expectations – – neither of which she was able to live up to.
The full, unedited photoset for this match is available here.
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