For Galas Looner, this is a moment at the crossroads, where her career could go in either direction. The blonde Gwen Stefani lookalike seemed to have everything in place a year and a half ago. She was among the top rookie class to ever enter the promotion and battled her way to an Intercondominium title when she defeated Megan Jones for that belt. Now, she is chasing Jones again, trying to become the ACW champion. But, what a difference a year makes.
Looner barrelled her way through ACW opponents with a deceptive skill set and temperament. Confident, to the point of cockiness, she defeated opponents left and right until she got her IC belt. Quickly, though, things seemed to change as soon as she got a taste for gold. She became even more cocky, began partying more and neglected her training, all the while complaining that she was getting the opportunities that she deserved. She basically was becoming a parody of the typical apartment wrestler. Not surprisingly, losses started piling up, she lost the IC title and found herself to be competitive with rookies and other on the lower rungs. Finally, the lightbulb came on.
“I was stunned when I realized that I was having a hard time putting away girls that I could have beaten in two minutes before. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. Now I’m worried because girls like Katie Cummings are passing me by and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get a shot at the ACW title any more. I just don’t have much room for error. I don’t know what happened. I mean I do know but I can’t believed I went downhill so fast.”
It’s a funny lesson for those in the business. Momentum is a mysterious force. It can carry you forward against all odds, or propel you downwards in a manner that is unexplainable. For Looner and girls like her, it is difficult to recapture the magic of their first successful run in a sport that is very unforgiving and reluctant to give second chances. For Looner, there is a sense of urgency in her eyes and her next few matches may define her career. She is set to battle Jen Capone for a run at the IC belt again and then will matchup against newcomer Lucy Dae, against whom she has struggled in the last six month. The results of these matches could propel her into a title shot against Megan but could just as easily signal the end of the road for her in the promotion.
“I just have to win,” she says. “It’s as simple as that.
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