London Event, Anastaxia Vs Viper, Early Years, Down To The Wire, 1,600 Words

April 3, 2023,

We would call this a historical match but since it was competed several years ago and we had to look a little off the grid to find it, given who is wrestling, this could be a good off the radar match.

Anastaxia, we don’t know much about but since she is wrestling at the Submission Room and she doesn’t appear to be a woman overly focused on Sessions, we sense she might take this match seriously.

If so, very good.

As far as Viper Max goes, FCI Women’s Wrestling Magazine has extensively reviewed her wrestling matches and in today’s era, she is solid at the intermediate level. She competes against some of the world’s most elite female submission wrestlers in Hungary.

This match took place a few years ago when Viper was newer.

Let’s walk back in time.

ANASTAXIA VS VIPER MAX

The competition will take place at Pippa’s famed Submission Room. It is match number 3 of Pippa’s tenth event.

Down to their knees they go and are now ready.

They hesitate at the start, slowly grabbing at one another’s wrists when Viper seizes a headlock and takes Anastaxia down to the mats. They struggle and roll around a bit but Viper maintains the top position.

For some time, Viper remains content to ride the top position.

Finally she makes a move.

Viper tries for an upper body scissors, possibly a triangle choke but misses badly.

Then she loses the top position.

Anastaxia now becomes the aggressor as Viper gives up her back.

They struggle up top and this time it is Anastaxia who takes Viper down, lands on top of her and moves into the smother position.

Anastaxia is not fooling around. She is not going to waddle on top and make giggle conversation like Viper just did when she had the top position. She is pressing for the smother and Viper, unprepared, only has one arm to block her.

That’s not enough.

Anastaxia clasps Viper, the same way the blonde beauty tried to do her, only she makes it count with a combination headlock and side body scissors and Viper quickly taps out.

Now that’s how it should be done.

1-0 for Anastaxia.

Our question for now is, will Viper take this match a little more seriously?

We’ll see.

Viper does indeed start more aggressively and after some initial wrist grabbing, takes the top position, folding herself over Anastaxia’s torso.

Anastaxia tries to use her legs and feet to trap Viper in a head scissor, fails at that but does manage to accidentally kick Viper in the head. Anastaxia is relentless and finally, from the bottom, captures Viper’s right arm in a scissor.

She begins to turn the tables and encases Viper in a headlock but from a weak position of being on the bottom. No matter, she tightens the headlock and Viper taps out.

2-0 for Anastaxia (4:10).

They are ready again.

Viper leaps at Anastaxia’s head and takes her down. The match is starting to get a little rough and tumble as Anastaxia sighs from a potential body scissor and though Viper is in the top position, her angle of strength appears to be tenuous at best.

Anastaxia begins to use her athletic legs very effectively and though Viper is on top of her, head towards Anastaxia’s feet, in an above backwards frontal, Anastaxia uses that opportunity to trap Viper in a body scissor, squeezes mightily and Viper taps out.

3-0 for Anastaxia (5:00)

What is becoming clear to us is that we initially started to view this match with a current lens of who Viper is today. Years ago, this version of Viper is not as skilled and unless something changes, she is about to get dominated here.

Time will soon tell.

They begin the next engagement in a rough and tumble manner with Anastaxia trapping Viper in a brutal headlock. Viper screams and Anastaxia immediately let’s her off the hook. Viper is okay and quickly responds by sitting on top of Anastaxia but they have fallen off of the mats and must begin again.

They move to the center of the mats and Viper is allowed to remain on top.

Once the fighting begins, Viper manages an elongated frontal attack but Anastaxia blocks a full mount by scissoring Viper’s right leg while both women are in a mutual headlock struggle.

For the moment they are at an aggressive stalemate.

Viper remains on top.

Then something odd happens.

Viper is on top but Anastaxia has her encased in a headlock and even though Viper is on top, she submits and taps out. Rarely have we seen someone tap out from the top position. Thus far in this early version of Viper, though she knows the moves, she appears to have little to no offensive submitting strategy. From the top elongated position, that was Viper’s time to press down her will and she didn’t.

4-0 for Anastaxia (6:44).

Time to re-engage.

Once again Viper takes the initiative by entrapping Anastaxia in a “sitting to sitting” body scissors as she moves Anastaxia’s head forward. The experienced wrestler breaks that hold but Viper is instantly on top of her. Anastaxia cross her forearms for a block as Viper presses down for the smother. The athletic blonde traps Anastaxia in a fierce grapevine as well.

Can Viper close the deal? Thus far this is one of her best chances for a submission.

Viper continues to force the grapevine hold. In this war of attrition, she is finally winning. To seal the deal she turns Anastaxia to the side and squeezes her in a side body scissor.

Anastaxia finally taps out.

4-1 for Anastaxia (8:00).

This is a critical juncture in the match if Viper is to take this seriously. If she can get the next submission, it is only 2-4 with plenty of time left.

As they engage, Viper is once again the aggressor and Anastaxia has gotten into a very bad habit of beginning each engagement from the sitting position with her legs out on the defensive. This makes it ideal for Viper to grab her behind the neck and simply fall forward onto her as Anastaxia pulls her forward.

Viper is now on top with a very aggressive spirit. That submission appears to have energized her. Viper is now beginning to open up her offensive playbook and immediately grasps Anastaxia in an arm bar.

This could spell trouble.

Anastaxia manages to use her strong legs to escape. Viper is energetic and relentless and next exacts a floor to sitting body scissors that Anastaxia needs to escape.

Previously Anastaxia began to giggle and talk in between engagement. She is not dong that now and neither is Viper. She is now fighting to escape Viper’s determination who has now rolled her into a painful side body scissors combined with a neck grab. Anastaxia escapes.

Barely.

Viper maintains the top position.

She begins to maneuver Anastaxia into a triangle choke. Anastaxia circles round and round and round and round to escape. Viper responds by sliding her into a thigh crunching head scissors and it is game over.

Anastaxia taps out. Now we have a fight on our hands.

4-2 for Anastaxia (10:00).

This is more like the Viper we know in March of 2023.

Time to begin, again.

Anastaxia is unwisely in the sitting position and Viper is on her knees inching forward.

Viper attacks.

Anastaxia mistakenly gives up her back and Viper immediately traps her in a behind the back body scissor, slides it into a brutal side body scissors, and squeezes.

Anastaxia is in big trouble.

Somehow she manages to withstand Viper’s charge and now Viper changes to the top position with Anastaxia struggling underneath.

They struggle for some time.

Viper tries for a triangle choke but loses it. Anastaxia tries to counter with a floor to sitting body scissors but can’t hold it. This next submission is critical. If Anastaxia gets it, this match is essentially over. If Viper gets it, she is one point away from a tie which after being down 0-4, is an incredible symbolic victory.

Viper maintains the upper position.

Having said that, Anastaxia has her trapped in a headlock from the floor position. The last time this happened, Viper surprisingly tapped out.

What will happen here?

This in essence is the match.

For moments, given the severity of the headlock, it looked like Viper would tap out but the stakes are higher now, she hangs in there and breaks the hold.

Now, she is back in control and on top.

She moves forward into the smother position. Anastaxia blocks her with arms clenched but in this war of attrition, the person on top has the advantage, pressing their weight down. For now Viper is content to do just that and then suddenly begins to transfer Anastaxia into a triangle choke as she sits on top of her.

They struggle and struggle some more as Viper acrobatically slides into a smother position combined with a grapevine.

Anastaxia fights off the hold.

Viper is non-committal, becoming strategic, waiting for Anastaxia, in the weaker position, to make a mistake.

She finally does and Viper quickly snaps her into a side body scissors, squeezes and Anastaxia painfully taps out.

4-3 for Anastaxia with Viper closing in (14:43).

Anastaxia once again starts from the sitting position.

She is easy prey.

Viper lunges at her and takes her down and once again is in the top position. Anastaxia is trying to fight her off but appears to be tiring. Viper rolls her into an upper torso scissors and squeezes.

Anastaxia is faltering.

This could be the tying submission.

Tick.

Time is called. The match is over. Anastaxia survives with a 4-3 victory, saved by the bell.

We now understand why the Viper we see today is so good.

She doesn’t give up.