Cynara, of course, was the "Living Legend", the sport's first champion, having twice beaten Denise for the crown, and going on to defend it successfully against the likes of Molly, Scarlet and Jenny. The willowy blonde from Los Angeles quickly became SRW's most popular wrestler.

The brunette newcomer Salome had been recruited by a handful of wealthy New York aficionados who, with a $35,000 war chest, trained Salome with one purpose: To conquer Cynara.

A psychological assault was launched on Cynara, as Salome's debut match against a veteran wrestler named Gail was promoted as a warm-up for the champion.

"I'll humiliate Gail," Salome declared, "and earn my reputation. When I batter her into oblivion, my name will be famous throughout the sport. And I want Cynara to know and fear me when our time comes."

And Salome did indeed triumph over Gail. Cynara immediately recognized Salome as a valid contender, and agreed to a match. But how much psychological damage Salome's triumph did to the Champ was debatable. Still, the brunette now had her shot at the crown.

There were rumors that Cynara was preparing to retire, quitting at the peak of her career, undefeated, and ascending into lore as the sport's first and greatest legend. Capping off her run with a victory over Salome, now tauted as her greatest challenge, would be the crown jewel of her career, and a finale fit for a Hollywood epic.

Still, the champion took nothing for granted, and undertook an exhaustive physical training regimen in preparation for the match. When asked of her strategy, Cynara answered tersely, "I wrestle to win."

Salome has always been a solemn woman, rarely speaking unless forced to.

Even then, she only makes short pronouncements intended to terrorize her foes: "I don't care what happens," she declared, "as long as I win. That's all that matters. Being an apartment house wrestler, being the center of attention in front of the most marvelous men alive, is all that matters to me. To be the focus of their desire for even an hour is to know a power beyond all others. It's a power," she concludes coldly, "I intend to keep."

Like a tawny tigress, her fabulous body a rippling study in powerful grace, Cynara was the first to enter the living room. She never looked more magnificent as she strode out into the middle of the floor, clad in a black string bikini. Her lithe muscles, tensed for action, made her seem like a splendid lioness poised for the hunt. No comparison or description of Cynara entering a room for combat can do her justice.

Whereas Cynara is glorious, Salome is dangerous. She seems to slither into a room, her eyes taking in her opponent. Her undeniable beauty goes through some strange change when confronted with her foe. She is no less beautiful, but her loveliness is underlined by a cruelty which is unmistakable. The brunette wore a custom-made pink two-piece joined at the navel by 14k gold rings, a gift from her benefactors.

Cynara's eyes were two slits of hatred as she saw Salome enter the room. The brunette slithered into view with leopard grace. Her long legs seemed to let her glide across the carpet as she came within a foot of her opponent. The room was cloaked in silence as the two women stared into each other's eyes, trying to penetrate the veneer of confidence to find the fear. Just watching them size each other up made every man's pulse race.

Dave Moll, the organizer of apartment wrestling, finally brought everyone back to the business at hand by stepping between the two girls and announcing, "This match will be two out of three falls. The winner will be designated the new apartment house wrestling champion." He smiled and added, "The loser will have our undying gratitude. Ladies...begin!"

As if shot from a cannon, the wrestlers leaped at each other. Crashing together, they grunted as contact was made and their entwined bodies fell to the carpet. Kicking and clawing, they formed a blur of wondrous flesh and muscle.

They were a flurry of limbs as the battling grew furious. Separating, the girls sprang to their feet. Then Cynara, her blue eyes flaming with excitement, drove her knee hard into Salome's groin. The brunette doubled over and Cynara grabbed her in a headlock.

The brunette squirmed and struggled to free herself from the blonde's powerful grasp. Weakened by agony, her punches into Cynara's mid-section and back were unable to force the hold broken. It was the champion herself, trying to go for a quick pin, who broke the hold.

Cynara attempted to roll Salome over on her back. However, overanxious, she used so much force that both girls went tumbling across the carpet. Salome was free and determined to turn the match around.

With the force of a crazed jungle cat, Salome ran at her foe's mid-section, forcing the blonde beauty to topple to the carpet. However, her supremacy was short-lived. Expertly, Cynara's long legs wrapped themselves like snakes around their victim and twisted Salome around. The stunned brunette couldn't defend against this lightning turn of events and was helpless to avoid the first fall. Cynara leaped on her opponent, pinning her foe with the weight of her body. The champion was ahead, one to nothing.

Salome knew she could now afford no mistakes. At the start of the second fall, she came out feet flying, catching the over-confident champion unawares. Again and again she drove the balls of her feet hard into Cynara's belly and groin. This time she made sure her victim was sufficiently weakened before she pounced.

Cynara's magnificent body grew limp from the punishment, and for the first time ever she looked helplessly frail while unsuccessfully trying to ward off the blows. Slowly she sank to her knees, her fiery eyes turned glassy and dull.

Cynara toppled on her back, inviting Salome to pin her. But the brunette was taking no chances. Leaping high into the air, turning her body into a beautiful missile of torment, she came crashing down on the weakened champion. Cynara couldn't hold back the cry of agony. Salome then spread the weight of her body upon her blonde victim.

The match was tied.

Cynara's excellent conditioning came to her rescue. Somehow, she shook the pain from her body like a duck shakes off water. Caught off-guard, she had been badly beaten. However, that was past. A champion looks only to the future.

For more than 15 savage minutes the two girls battled to become the apartment house wrestling champion. Their bodies were twisted and pounded. They absorbed more punishment than any human being should be made to suffer. Yet they took it and came back, determined to pound each other senseless.

Salome's hands flicked out with lightning speed, grabbing Cynara's bikini top and tearing it off with a strong yank. She then turned the garment into a weapon, cruelly wrapping it around the blonde's alabaster throat. As Cynara struggled to freedom, she also ripped away the brunette's halter. Before long, the pair had torn their panties to shreds, leaving their magnificent bodies nude. The spectators gave out an audible sigh of appreciation.

For the longest time, neither girl could gain an advantage. While one would manage to send her foe to the carpet, the victim would cannily escape before becoming overwhelmed. The two warriors, their bodies glistening with sweat, continued to battle with unabated ferocity, hoping her foe would make the slightest error she could capitalize on for victory.

However, not even these two could maintain such an inhuman pace forever. Near the end, their breath came short and hard. Their firm breasts sagged as their shoulders hunched over from exhaustion. Neither beauty was too sure on her feet, nor could either mount a sustained attack. Cynara would catch her foe from behind, wrenching her arm almost from the socket with a hammerlock. The next instant however, Salome would have Cynara flat on her back, twisting the blonde's legs in the hope of tearing a hamstring muscle. Cynara would then escape and retaliate, and the fight see-sawed for long minutes.

And so they battled on, until Cynara grabbed Salome from behind, wrapping an arm across the brunette's throat in a bid to choke her into submission. But the blonde was off-balance, and Salome, grabbing her foe by the hair, flipped her over her shoulder. Cynara landed hard on the carpet, her head smacking the wall with a dull thud. Salome stepped back a few feet to gather the last vestiges of her waning strength for a final assault.

A special excitement filled the penthouse. Cynara was obviously hurt, far more than at any time in her fabulous career. The battle had left her exhausted, and the blow on the skull had made her dizzy. Still, she forced herself to rise. Her magnificent lithe legs were wobbling from weakness, barely able to support her weight. Her arms hung heavy at her sides.

Salome knew she was only seconds away from winning. Yet she found herself at the last moment watching, like everyone else, this splendid creature trying to regain her power, her cunning. As she struggled against doom, Cynara was at her most magnificent.

However, even the most famous of all apartment house wrestlers, the sport's first champion, cannot win against all odds. Salome drove a kick hard into Cynara's groin, and the blonde crashed onto her back with a yowl of agony. Smugly, the brunette planted her foot upon Cynara's chest, pinning her. Cynara moaned in protest and squirmed feebly in defiance, but it was a hollow gesture. Three seconds later there was a new apartment house wrestling champion.

As Salome basked in her glory, Cynara...groggy, sobbing, beaten but head held high...staggered back to her bedroom. There was an admiring silence for this fantastic warrior, even from those who had wagered a small fortune against her. As the door closed on the beaten woman, the spectators realized they had just seen the end of apartment wrestling's golden era.

There was a terrific demand for Cynara to meet Salome in a rematch, but the blonde disappointed the fans by announcing her retirement. Shortly thereafter, she married a wealthy publisher and moved to Europe. Nearly a decade later, writing to Moll, she addressed for the first time publicly her opinion on her defeat.

"I must have thought about it a thousand times," she wrote, "and I still can't figure out how I lost. I don't care if it sounds like I'm bragging. but Salome didn't deserve to beat me. She never was the wrestler I was. I don't believe in luck, so I won't say she got lucky."

"People ask me if I'd ever want to wrestle Salome again. Apartment wrestling is behind me. I have no desire to get back. Still, if Salome challenged me directly, I don't know. I don't know if I could turn away."