By Scott Fineout
It was a cold and snowy night on December 16, 2017. It made the name of PPW's latest show Sub-Zero make even that much more sense. It was on these snowy roads that Christina Marie made the trip from Albany, New York to begin proving herself in Hazleton. Her expectations low and her mind and body both in a good place. Marie was relatively new in the business back then and showed up in a positive attitude, ready to work and prepared for her debut match against Allie Recks, Sammi Pandora and Ariela Nyx.
Marie was confident from the beginning to the end of her match. Ariela Nyx would take the pin from Allie Recks that night en route to Recks successfully defending her championship. That wasn't the story of this night though. Instead, the attention was focused on the new red head who seemed to be able to dead lift everyone in the ring – at the same time.
Marie was indeed impressive that night. The use of her powerful skill set was unlike anything fans in Hazleton have seen from a female competitor and her legitimate athletic build made her quick in the ring as well. A marriage of power and speed that were unmatched in Hazleton now or ever.
Her loss was a setback to her title hopes but she was confident in the fact she had done everything she could do to try and force the outcome in her favor. It wasn't about the loss for Christina on this night, it was about making an impressive debut and showing PPW Management that she wouldn't be a head case.
She wasn't.
In fact, Christina Marie spent the better part of ten months with a smile on her face, slowly earning her way through the PPW Women's Division.
At PPW Respect in June of 2018 she defeated Leva Bates. It was an achievement for Marie and the staple win she needed to get over the hurdle of trying to impress the fans, the management and mostly herself.
Leva Bates was a multi-talented competitor that just got off a run with NXT at the time. It was the “outside of PPW win” that would help propel Marie's status in Hazleton.
Not to long after her victory over Bates, Marie would finally capture the PPW Women's Championship. A victory over Miranda Vionette at PPW Trust No One. It was a moment that Christina Marie and her fans had waited ten months for. Marie had been through hell and back in those ten months as well. Suffering two losses to rival Allie Recks and working her way back up the ladder to defeat Miranda Vionette.
Winning the title was a special moment. It was Marie's moment in the ring as she clinched the PPW Women's Championship tight and let go just long enough for PPW Senior Official Jeff Carden to raise her hand and declare her the winner. Tears rolling down the face of happiness for herself, her fans and all the hard work she had put into it. In a lot of fans minds, it was one of the defining moments of PPW in 2018. Marie was someone the younger fans in Hazleton could look up to. The definition of hard work paying off and determination carrying you along the way.
Fast forward to March 16, 2019. Christina Marie walked into Holy Family Academy as the PPW Women's Champion. Marie would tell High Voltage's Tom Mitchell that she was feeling confident about the night, but that she respected her opponent in Mercedes Martinez. Although Marie was confident going in, Mercedes Martinez would shock Hazleton and defeat Marie for the PPW Women's Championship.
It was a loss that didn't sit well with Marie.
Marie would go on to vent her frustrations out on the very fan base that had kept her together during her run towards the title. The same fans that would meet her at intermission and tell her they looked forward to her matches. The same ones that joked with her after the show as Marie was often one of the last competitors to leave the Holy Family gym for the evening.
After losing her championship Marie showed that she cared more about the gold than she did the people who supported her along the way. Its often said that someone's true colors come out during their toughest times. For Marie, this unfortunately seems true.
Of course, there are two sides to every story.
Christina Marie would tell you that it's not about the loss at all – it was about nobody being there for her after she lost it. Marie would tell Tom Mitchell that she was unhappy with the lack of support she got after the show. Nobody came up to her to console her. Marie was putting together in her mind that the fans only cared when she was on top and in her mind, that didn't make them fans at all.
Then there was last month at PPW Aftermath. Marie would come down and attack one of the newest members of the PPW roster, Adena Steele. Steele had just suffered a loss and was exhausted but Marie attacked her anyway. Catching up with Tom Mitchell afterwards Marie promised to break everyone's back in the PPW Women's Division. Christina Marie has put the PPW Women's Division on high-alert.
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