Kiera Hogan’s Fight for Friendship

We all know that in this crazy sport of professional wrestling, that absolutely anything can – and most likely will – happen at any time. For Kiera Hogan, anything started to take place back in October. Following a match with Su Yung that saw Hogan come up short, that familiar theme of Yung’s would hit, as her Undead Brides brought out the coffin. This would bring out Allie, who had promised that no other Knockouts would be placed in a coffin after watching helplessly while that had happened to Rosemary a few months prior.

Allie did her best to keep her word, but was outnumbered, and eventually succumbed to the feared mandible claw of Yung. This would allow Kiera Hogan the time to recover and attempt a save, but Yung would turn her claw onto Hogan, forcing her into the coffin as a distraught Allie screamed. Having lost a second friend to Su Yung, Allie began to lose her mind.

And who could blame her? It was clear that Allie was the ultimate goal of Su, but Allie’s friends were constantly stepping in to protect her, and wound up tasting her punishment. And for Kiera Hogan, trapped in the Undead Realm, all she could do was hope she could escape. Kiera’s torment weighed heavily on Allie, while all Kiera wanted from Allie was for her to know that none of this was her fault. It was Su Yung’s fault.

Allie, unfortunately, didn’t see it that way. So focused on avenging her two fallen friends was Allie that at Bound for Glory 2018, Allie voluntarily entered into the Undead Realm, looking to free Kiera from her prison. She was able to find Kiera and attempt to escape, but thanks to some slick maneuvering by The Sinister Minister, they would find themselves unable to return to the normal realm.

It was then that Rosemary would appear, and with a huge assist from The Demon Assassin, Kiera and Allie would be able to escape the Undead Realm and return home. Once they were back, however, things were quickly revealed to not be back to normal. Allie begged to go back to the realm to save Rosemary, while Kiera believed that Rosemary would be okay. Allie, pushed to her breaking point, would scream at Kiera in a way that we had never seen before. She seemed off.

Still, it could have been a hiccup. Perhaps some vestige of their visit to the Undead Realm had made it through, but there’s no way the darkness could actually live in someone like Allie, right? Unfortunately, weeks later, we’d have our answer.

Hogan would hit the ring following a Su Yung victory over Heather Monroe, looking for revenge. After dispatching of Yung, Hogan would check on Monroe, only for odd music to hit, and Allie to reveal the Dark side of herself. Hogan was visibly shaken, unable to believe what she was seeing. Allie – Dark Allie – would only stand there and watch as Yung would attack Hogan from behind, dropping her with the Panic Switch. Allie would then leave with Su Yung, as a shocked Impact audience sat in silence.

Kiera blamed herself. If she hadn’t been kidnapped in the first place, Allie would have never gone into the Undead Realm. It would weigh on Kiera’s conscience, which was easy to see when she returned to Impact a couple weeks later, letting the fans know that she still believed in Allie. She refused to believe that the dark magic of Su Yung had gotten to her.

Allie, please… please come home she begged through a guilty heart.

Kiera’s run in Impact, to that point, had been pretty standard. Wins and losses, championship opportunities, and friends and enemies. But there hadn’t been anything really at stake, certainly not like this. She never imagined traversing realms while being trapped in the middle of battles between demons and the undead. These weren’t the dreams she hoped to chase when she first entered wrestling school all those years ago.

So she took some time to herself. Kiera knew that if she was going to wage this war against Su Yung and Dark Allie, she was going to have to clear her mind, refocus her priorities, and train harder than ever before. She’d have to show that she was more than just some plucky competitor who wanted to win. She was going to have to dig deep and prove that her light would shine brightly through any void the two wanted to cast upon Impact Wrestling.

Unfortunately for Kiera, when she got her chance against Dark Allie, she still came up short. She hit Allie with everything she had, but still ran into a Codebreaker that finished her off. Afterwards, the duo would attack Kiera, which would draw Jordynne Grace out to watch her back. Kiera was conflicted – obviously she would need some help with her enemies, but she didn’t want to risk losing Jordynne in the same way that she lost Allie. Jordynne, however, would hear none of it.

The duo would try – and come up short – against Allie and Su at Homecoming, when Hogan succumbed to Yung. At this point, Kiera was starting to lose hope. She’d basically given up on ever getting Allie back, and she was losing every battle with Su and Allie, even with her new powerhouse backup.

Jordynne, on the other hand, wanted to show Kiera that to continue fighting was the only thing they could do. She even wrestled Allie on Impact after Homecoming, and was victorious. Kiera seemed ready to move on to the next step of her career.

After the match, though, the entire scene would be shaken to the core when Rosemary made her grand return, attempting to bring Allie out of the darkness. Allie, while bewildered, still managed to resist, and would escape in one piece. But just like that, everything in Kiera’s world had changed. She was feeling confident, she saw that her enemies could be defeated, and she had an incredible friend in Jordynne Grace. Now, to have Rosemary back? It seemed like the only that was impossible was Su Yung being able to keep Allie in the dark.

But just when Kiera was really starting to feel herself, just when it seemed like this long, sad journey would turn around soon, Rosemary would show up with a warning for both Kiera and Jordynne. While speaking with Melissa Santos, a message would appear on the mirror behind them: The Darkness Will Take You Too. This Is Not Your Fight – R.

Now it appeared that even Rosemary was doubting whether Kiera and Jordynne had what was needed to overcome the challenge presented by Su Yung and Dark Allie. And at first, it dealt a huge blow to the confidence of Kiera. But with Jordynne there to remind her that they can do it, she was able to put it aside.

Rosemary, meanwhile, was trying to make her own deal with The Sinister Minister. With Su, Allie, and The Undead Bridesmaid, Rosemary was ready to go to battle alone. But Kiera, now empowered by Jordynne, would show the woman she had become. She’d stand up to Rosemary, and she’d make it clear that this was absolutely her fight. The fire she showed as she demanded to help Rosemary burned bright, and Rosemary could not say no. Alongside Jordynne and Kiera, The Dark War would be fought!

The goal was simple: a win for Kiera’s team would free Allie from Su’s dark grasp. A loss, however, would see Rosemary join up with Su and The Sinister Minister.

This past Friday, we were witness to the War, and it was quite the sight to behold. The momentum shifted throughout the match, with everyone – Rosemary, Kiera, Jordynne, Su, Allie, and The Undead Bridesmaid – able to showcase some of their best offense at one point or another.

When it was all said and done, a spear from Rosemary to the Undead Bridesmaid (along with a tope from Kiera to Su, and some boots from Jordynne to Allie) spelled the end of Dark Allie. At least, it was supposed to.

Once the match was over and Rosemary had Allie in her clutches, Kiera Hogan seemed to want Rosemary to restore Allie to what she once was. Rosemary, however, demanded that Kiera and Jordynne leave the two of them alone.

This, of course, leaves Kiera at something of a crossroad. In one sense, it’s Mission: Accomplished. Allie is free from the control of Su Yung. This entire ordeal has brought out her absolute best, and made it clear that she’s someone to remember. At the same time, is this really what she fought for? So that someone else could try to control Allie? Or does she have to trust that Rosemary will do her best to restore Allie to the Bunny that she loved?

The fact is, Kiera Hogan is in a very awkward spot. She’s given so much of herself to trying to save her friend. She still feels that this is all her fault. But is she ready for The Demon Assassin? Can Kiera step up again, or will she let Rosemary dictate the pace from here on out?

As usual, we can only wait and see. But if I’m being honest (and I am), it feels like now is the time for Kiera Hogan to implement a scorched earth policy until she’s satisfied. This girl is on fire, after all. And if you’re Allie, lost deep inside your Dark shell, you have to feel good that this is the person that’s fighting for you.