By Scott Fineout A few months ago everything was right in Christina Marie's world. The PPW Women's Championship secured in her travel bag as she headed to Hazleton to take on the well-traveled Mercedes Martinez. Marie was in good spirits as she left her hometown of Albany, New York. She was excited to be able to prove herself against top competition, a real measuring stick for her professionally as she continues to improve her game.
Marie searched through social media while riding to Hazleton, she would respond to the many fans who wished her luck in her match that night. Her inbox flooded with support for the night's action ahead. It was the kind of confidence builder that Marie needed and the boost that she thought would help her through her match that night against Mercedes Martinez.
The match didn't go Marie's way. In fact, she had a bad showing in it. The loss that night to Mercedes Martinez lost her much more than the PPW Women's Championship – it lost her confidence. The title was validation to Marie that she had got somewhere in Hazleton. The fans support meant everything to her, but the PPW Women's Championship was the reason she had put herself through so much pain. It was the reason that she had spent the better part of a year chasing the first ever PPW Women's Champion Allie Recks for the title. It was the reason she was so motivated to defend the title.
As Marie rode home to Albany, her phone was up to her face the whole ride back. As she sat in the back seat making the uncomfortable ride home that most independent wrestlers make every night, she couldn't help but notice the amount of messaged in her inbox.
None.
It was as if the same people who had wished her luck has forgotten about her. Maybe it was that they didn't know what to tell their fallen hero – but either way, Christina Marie took this personal. In a time where she really needed the fans of Hazleton, nobody was there to pick her up. Nobody would tell her that the match was a fluke and that she'd regain her footing in PPW. Instead, silence.
The weeks after PPW Supershow 2, Marie had done nothing but think about her loss. It had consumed her and the thought of nobody messaging her still in her head. It began to shape the way Christina Marie thought about her career in Hazleton. Elsewhere, it was hugs and handshakes for Marie but in Hazleton, the people had forgotten her.
Marie was focused on her match that night with AEW star Nyla Rose. It was Rose who stepped up to challenge Marie in a return to Hazleton that fans last seen her take out other fan favorite Sammi Pandora. Now, it was Marie who was in line to be Nyla's next victim if everything went right for the “native beast.”
Marie would again get the good luck messages but this time she didn't feel the need to respond. Instead, she hit ignore. This month it wasn't about appeasing the people of Hazleton. To Marie they weren't with her anymore. On the surface they appeared to be but underneath the smiles and good luck messages were a group of people that – in Marie's estimation – didn't care about her at all.
Marie would again suffer a loss. This time AEW's Nyla Rose the one who put her down. It was clear that Marie was distracted throughout the match. As she walked to the back after her loss she heard a few chants but nothing like when she was champion. The lasting sound again, left Christina with a sour taste in her mouth after her time in Hazleton.
Marie would take her frustrations out on a debuting Adena Steele after her match with Edna Pinheart. Marie would come in and powerbomb Steele who had just been through a grueling match that resulted in a loss. Steele was completely helpless and would later roll out of harms way. That is when Marie took to the microphone and reminded the crowd in Hazleton that nobody had messaged her, nobody cared about her.
From this moment forward, Marie would be in business for one person – herself.
Last week on PPW High Voltage, Marie picked up a win over Steele. She had picked a fight with someone she knew she had more experience over, and she took advantage of the situation. It was a smart and calculated move on Marie's part. Steele will be someone in Hazleton one day, but for now she is just a rookie – and Marie knew that.
After again using Steele as a punching bag at the end of a match, this resulted in Mercedes Martinez coming to the ring and telling Marie “I'm right here” in which Marie responded by challenging her to a match next month at PPW Heat Blast.
This one will be a good one. PPW Women's Champion Mercedes Martinez defends against former PPW Women's Champion Christina Marie, July 20th at PPW Heat Blast.