Status: Active
He's a Fighter
NXT Season 2, Episode 3
Raw last night was full of chaos as usual with the Season One NXT group, now referring themselves to the Nexus. First of all, Vince McMahon fired Bret Hart as general manager of Raw, replacing him with an anonymous general manager, who would send messages via email from a laptop computer at ringside, and Michael Cole would read each email to everyone. Sheamus came out and bragged about his win at Fatal 4-Way as well. The Chris Jericho faced Evan Bourne once again, and won, thus saving his job. Ted DiBiase was backstage and he had relieved Virgil of his duties, replacing him with Maryse...gross. The Divas match was Natalya vs Tamina, but the match was interrupted by the NXT contingent and they attack David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd. That would lead to them talking about getting their contracts, becoming official Raw superstars. Basically though, the group now known as Nexus caused chaos on Raw yet again.
But that was last night, tonight is NXT. Alex would be teaming up with Mike to face MVP and Percy Watson. Stef and I would be there ringside for both of them. It feels great to have someone else there so we have someone else to talk to during the match. John would be facing Cody this week, as Cody had agreed to last week. This match would be a five minute match, Jon having to last that long in the ring with Cody, without being pinned of course. Then at the end of the night, each rookie has to state their case to the WWE Universe. Charity and myself will get to be in the ring with Jon and Alex for that.
"So do you think you can beat Cody tonight? I know you can. Cody may be cute and everything but you're my boyfriend and I favor you."
"I know you do. And I know I can beat him. I can last 5 minutes in the ring with him. I may be a rookie, but you know how I am in the ring."
"That's true. Just be careful alright?"
"I'll try my best. And by the way, you're looking absolutely stunning."
"Jon....." Charity blushes.
"What? It's true."
"As you say all the time."
"Ready to go?" He asks.
"Of course." She nods.
Jon grabs his gear bag, and Charity has the room and car keys, then they head out the door and to the elevator, heading down to the lobby. Once reaching the lobby, they head out to the parking lot. Jon puts his bag in the back seat, before getting into the passenger side and Charity gets into the driver's side and they head off to the arena for NXT.
Stef and Mike have currently finished getting ready themselves, making sure they have what they need before leaving.
"So what's going on for tonight?" Stef asks.
"Teaming with Alex to take on Percy and MVP. We'll win....of course."
"Duh." She laughs. "But hey that means Kalena and I can be ringside for the match. Yay."
"Our good luck charms."
"Of course. Maybe we'll even cause distractions too."
"Learned from the best." Mike chuckles.
"Yes we did. Although getting involved isn't really that hard to do. All you have to do is make sure the ref is distracted, which is easily done."
"Very true. All set to go?"
"Yup." She nods, and they grab everything before heading down to their car.
Last was Alex and myself. I had gotten dressed into a Lace One Shoulder Dress. The lace being over the red/magenta part of the dress. Matching the red/magenta color I had red/magenta eyeshadow and a ring. Everything was done so all I had was my shoes to put on. So after coming out of the bathroom, I grab the shoes I picked out and sat on the bed to put them on. I got one shoe on and buckled, before an arm snaked around my waist and a kiss was placed on the back of my neck.
"Alex..." I respond, my eyes closing as I enjoy the feeling.
"What? Just showing my affection."
"I'm not even finished getting ready yet. Couldn't wait?" I giggle.
"Not really."
"Dork. If I give you a real kiss, will you let me finish so we're not late?"
"Maybe."
I shift in my spot and turn around, pressing my lips to his. When I go to pull away a bit after, he holds me there for a little bit longer, before letting me go.
"Now you can finish." He grins, moving from the bed and getting the rest of his things together.
"Thank you." I smile, before getting my other shoe on and buckle that.
After standing up, I adjust my dress a little before making sure I have what I need for tonight.
"I can't wait to be cheering you on tonight in your match. No offense but Percy's weird. He may be good in the ring, but he's got a weird personality."
"He does, but hey it's entertaining right?"
"Right." I nod. "I know you and Mike can win this. No one can beat you."
"Just as long as I don't get distracted by you, I think I'll be good...because you are distracting afterall."
"Oops, my bad."
"That's okay though. Set to go?"
"Yup."
Then we head out the door after grabbing all our things and we go down to the car, getting in and heading off to the arena. We all get to the arena at different times. Jon and Charity get to the locker room first and he goes to change. Mike and Stef get there next and Mike changes. Then Alex and I get there last and Alex goes to change. We were able to relax for a bit as the show was getting set up. But a stagehand soon knocked on the door and asked for Mike and Alex, because the show would be starting soon and their match is starting the show off.
"Wish us luck."
"Luck."
Alex and I lace fingers as we walk out, and Stef and Mike do the same. We waited in the curtained area for us to be called out, along with MVP and Percy who just showed up. The show started, the NXT intro playing. That's followed by the pyros of course. The rest of the pros then went out to sit on the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to NXT! The rookies are ready to impress and they're about to have their chance. Because the first match begins right now!"
They play Mike's music first and the four of us walk out onto the stage. After Alex and Mike posed on the stage, Stef and I locked arms with them as we walked down the ramp.
"The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for onefall. Introducing first the combined weight of 244 pounds, accompanied to the ring by Kalena and Stefanie, Alex Riley and the United States Champion The Miz!"
We let go of Mike and Alex as they get into the ring. We go up the stairs, Mike and Alex both holding the ropes for us to get into the ring. Alex and Mike both pose in the corners, before Mike's music fades and MVP's goes off, him and Percy coming out.
"And their opponents, with the combined weight of 248 pounds, Showtime Percy Watson and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP!"
Percy starts dancing outside the ropes on the apron and I raise an eyebrow. Stef and I have stepped outside the ropes. Mike removed his shirt and handed that to Stef, along with the title before giving her a brief kiss. Alex removes his vest and hands that to me as well, giving me a brief kiss himself. Stef and I get down from the ring, standing ringside to watch the match and cheer Mike and Alex on.
It starts off with Alex and MVP, beacuse Alex told Mike that he wanted to start things off with MVP. I nod in approval and clap for him.
"Let's go Alex!"
Alex tells MVP that he doesn't want him, he wants Percy.
"Woo!"
Percy got the crowd clapping, before they go for a lock up, but Alex kicks him in the leg before getting him in a headlock. Pushed into the ropes, Alex comes back and hits him with a hard shoulder block. Percy gets up as Alex sits on top of one of the corner and poses with a smile on his face. Stef and I can't help but laugh.
"Always gotta be a goof." I laugh.
"Of course."
Alex hops down to continue the match. They circle before locking up finally and another headlock on Percy, followed by another hard shoulder block. Alex then goes back against the ropes and hops over Percy and then Percy leap frogs over Alex, followed by a dropkick.
"Ohh, come on Alex!"
Percy hits another. Then he trips Alex and holds him to the mat before MVP tags himself in and then they double team him. Once Percy leaves the ring, MVP grabs Alex and throws him out of the ring and to the floor. I go to move to check on him, but Stef stops me when we see Mike hop down and go over to him.
"Let Mike do his coaching right now."
"But..."
"The look on Mike's face isn't good. Don't want him yelling at you in character."
"True..." I sigh and we look on from a distance.
Mike then of course starts yelling at Alex and they get into an argument. Alex gets back into the ring, and Mike yells at Alex to tag him him and he does. MVP tags in Percy and Mike goes right to work on him. Alex reaches for a tag, telling Mike to give him Percy, and Mike does tag him in. Alex then takes control of the match and he starts getting in the ref's face. The ref gets distracted by MVP and Mike gets sneaky and keeps the power on their side. Alex then gets him in a potential submission and Mike starts talking smack to Percy. MVP's reaching for a tag, but Percy can't get over to him. They eventually get to their feet and Percy counters and tags in MVP. MVP takes control of the match from there.
"Alex move!!!" Stef and I say at the same time with Mike.
He doesn't move and we cringe. But when Alex gets up, he holds onto the ropes, and kicks MVP in the leg, making him let go. Alex hits MVP and sends him flying into his corner where Percy tags himself in. Alex runs over and tags Mike in as well. But Percy is fired up and knocks Mike down. He then jumps and flips kind of, landing on Mike. He goes for the cover, but Alex rushes in and stops it. MVP comes in and goes after Alex, knocking himself and Alex over the top rope. I go to check on Alex while Stef pays attention to the match. Mike counters Percy and he falls onto the top rope. That's followed by a Skull Crushing Finale and Mike gets the 3 count for the win. I was helping Alex up and Mike was saying something to Percy while MVP got in the ring to get in Mike's face. Alex quickly gets into the ring with my help and he joined Mike with the arguing with MVP. Once that was done, they raised each other's hands in victory before getting out of the ring by us.
Stef hands Mike back his title and I hand Alex back his vest and we all make our way around the ring to head back. We follow them up the ramp and stand next to them when they pose. And since we didn't get to do this in the ring with them, at the top of the ramp, we lace our fingers with theirs and raise their hands in victory ourselves before heading backstage.
"You did it!" Stef exclaims happily, wrapping her arms around Mike in a hug.
"Your second win. 2 and 0." I say to Alex.
"And as long as you keep doing what I say, you'll be the next breakout star in no time." Mike adds.
"Ahem....aren't you forgetting a couple people Mike?"
"Correction....as long as you listen to us, you'll be the next breakout star in no time." He corrects himself.
"Better." I nod. "Well I'm gonna head to catering, getting a bit thirsty and I could use a snack." I add.
"Want me to come with you?" Alex asks.
"I think I'll be fine. I'll take Stef with me. You spend time with your pro okay?"
"Okay." He chuckles. "Meet you back here?"
"Of course." I nod, leaning up and kissing him.
"Same goes for me." Stef says to Mike before kissing him as well.
Then we both head off to catering to kill some time. When we get there we find Charity, so we get what we want and join her at the table.
"Hey, where's Jon?"
"Talking with Mark. Strategizing for his match against Cody tonight."
"Ohh."
"What about Alex and Mike?"
"They're spending time together, probably will strategize their next match either as a tag team or single's match."
"Oh, true. So seems like an early night for us. Not sticking around for SmackDown this week."
"Yeah seems so. Another busy week with FCW stuff, signings, etc. Gonna need all the sleep we can get. Hell I know I will. I've been exhausted lately. Maybe going to bed early will help tonight."
"Probably."
"Well I've got to get out there with Mike to watch the matches." Stef says getting up, after grabbing a bottle of water on the table nearby.
"Alright, have fun."
"Will do."
After the promo on Titus, it was time for the next match. McGillicutty with Kofi Kingston vs Titus O'Neil with Zack Ryder. At that time, Alex and Jon had come into catering.
"Oh, looks like they couldn't wait." I giggle.
"Of course not." Charity laughs.
The match begins as they come over and find us, sitting next to us.
"Miss us already?"
"That obvious huh?"
"Uh huh."
Titus and Michael lock up, before Titus is pushed into the corner, Michael letting go almost immediately. Titus comes back and they lock up again before Titus throws Michael into the corner before spearing him once. That's when Michael fires back. Coming off the ropes, Titus catches him and drops him in the corner. He throws him into the opposite before throwing him into the original corner he was in. He goes for a pin attempt, but Michael kicks out.
"That's not enough to win the match."
"Yeah, he needs to do more."
Titus stomps on him a few times before helping him up and throwing him into the ropes, clotheslining him when he comes back. Going for another pin, Michael kicks out. Now he's in a reverse chin lock, until Michael was able to get to his feet. That's when Michael gets out of the hold, but his strategy didn't work. Titus goes for pin attempt #3, but Michael kicks out. Titus picks him up and drops him and bounces off the ropes, only for Michael to lift his legs and Titus falls on them. They both get to his feet before Michael hits the spinning neck breaker, getting the three count to win the match.
"Someone else is 2 and 0."
"But you're much better than him." I tell Alex.
"You bet I am."
"Well only two more matches until your first little challenge thing."
"Yup...Kaval vs Eli. That can't go good for Kaval at all."
"Not really."
"And then you vs Cody." Charity says to Jon.
The next match, Eli vs Kaval with Eli coming out, John joining him ringside. Kaval was already in the ring with LayCool ringside. The bell rings, starting the match and Kaval goes right for the legs before Eli pushes him into the corner. Kaval uses the corner to his advantage, but Eli throws him back into the corner.
"See? Told you."
He then gets him in a bear hug, but Kaval starts hitting him to make him let go. And it works once he's in the corner. Kaval counters, trying to inflict as much pain on Eli as possible. Eli throws Kaval off the top rope and misses a clothesline and Kaval catches Eli on the chin. Eli flings Kaval across the ring and outside it. Kaval jumps from the top and hits Eli on the back on the neck. He goes for a pin attempt but Eli surprisingly kicks out. Kaval jumps from the top and Eli catches him, and manhandles him, going for the cover and gets the pin.
"2 and 0 with you and McGillicutty." I say to Alex.
"Again though...he's better than both of them."
"Will always be true." I grin before kissing him briefly.
Once the victory celebration was over, the next rookie introduction video was shown. This one was on Jon, talking about his life changing in 2004 where he was hit in the back of the head with a lead pipe, being a coma in 3 weeks, forgetting everything, learning how to walk and talk again. And then of course he talked about meeting Charity and how lucky he was to meet her.
"Awwwwww." I smile. "That's so cute."
"Well I am lucky that I met her." He grins, kissing her.
Coming back from a quick break, Kaval was recovering backstage when LayCool came up.
"Think about it, you've already lost twice and third time's a charm." Michelle states.
"That sounded like an insult to me.
"Michelle..." Layla trails off before she and Michelle talk over one another.
"Real talk."
"Kaval, are you with us?"
"Are you with us?" Layla repeats.
"Yeah, I'm with you."
"He's with us." They say in unison.
"Okay good, because we've been dying to give you this gift. Are you ready? Close your eyes."
He closes his eyes, but hesitantly.
"One, two, three. Yayyyy."
He opens his eyes and the camera pans out to show a pink shirt that says 'Property Of LayCool'.
"The hell...."
"....is that?"
"Property of..."
"...LayCool."
"Do you love it?"
"Do you love it?"
"Yeah....it's wonderful."
"It is, I know."
"I really don't know what to say."
"Uh, say thank you."
"Uh duh."
"Do I have to wear it?" Kaval asks.
"Of course, you should wear it all the time."
"I mean when you're with us..."
"...when you're without us..."
"...when you're sleeping..."
"...when you're eating or working out..."
"..Michelle do you see this?"
"Kaval, we have taught you this before. This is the money maker."
"Seriously."
"Seriously."
"Turn this frown..."
"....upside down."
"Yayyyyy."
The screen fades out on LayCool trying to get him to smile.
"Wooooow." I shake my head.
Then they replay what happened last week between Striker and Cody where he attacked Matt from behind. After that, what happened in the main event last night on Raw when Mr. McMahon was attacked by the former rookies of NXT Season One. While that was going, Mark came into catering and spotted Lucky, waving him over.
"Oh looks like the match will be coming up. We gotta go."
"We'll be cheering for you, have fun." I say as he and Charity get up.
"Oh I will."
Charity and Jon lace fingers and head out of catering, following Mark to the curtain. Once there, they wait as the reply ends and Husky goes out to join Cody in the ring. It takes while before they play Mark's but when they do, Mark, Charity and Jon go out and Charity has a modified version of Jon's shirt that she had made just for her. Mark gets out of the ring and Charity stays in the ring with Jon, while Mark gets out of the ring. Charity keeps her fingers laced with his.
"Alright Lucky we're gonna do something a little different here. Last week I said that if you could...I said you'd be lucky if you could last five minutes with me. So what we're gonna do, is we're gonna have a five minute challenge. Give me five minutes. And I have a feeling Lucky that, your luck is gonna run out before those five minutes do."
Husky leaves the ring and Jon kisses Charity before she gets out of the ring herself. The bell rings to start the match. They circle and then lock up, Jon getting pushed into the corner. Cody backs up at three before they circle again before Cody twists his arm and knees him in the gut. He does it again before shoving him away. Jon comes back with an elbow to the face and then Cody slaps him. He slaps him again before taking him down.
"Come on Lucky!" Charity encourages from ringside.
Jon eventually counters the hold and then Cody gets free, both of them getting to their feet. Cody however dropkicks Jon and he rolls out of the ring by Mark and Charity. The ref was distracted for a moment and Charity kept her eye on Husky. Cody got out of the ring and Charity and Mark both backed up. Cody punches him and he falls back into the barrier. He hits him again before grabbing him and throwing him back into the ring. Jon takes Cody down, but Cody comes back. Cody stomps away on Jon.
"Come on!" Charity yells again.
Cody pulls Jon away from the ropes, hitting him in the back of the head with his elbow. He does it again before lifting Jon onto his back, holding him there in a submission.
"Reverse it! Come on!"
Jon does, getting down and he rolls Cody up real quick, but only getting a two count. That's when Jon takes control of the match, planting Cody face first. He goes for the cover, but Cody kicks out. Thrown into the ropes and when Cody comes back he kicks Jon in the shoulder. Cody bounces back off the ropes to be met by a big boot to the face by Jon.
"YES! Cover him! Cover him now!"
He covers him but only getting a two count.
"That's okay. You only got to last another minute and 36 seconds!"
Jon continues the attack on Cody in the corner until he goes to throw him into the opposite corner, only to be Irish Whipped into it himself. Jon jumps up and over Cody as he charges at him, but Cody hits him with a kick to the face. Cody sets him up for the Cross Rhodes and hits it, winning the match.
"Damn." Charity mutters under her breath.
Mark goes to check on Jon and then Charity does. She helps Mark get him to his feet in the ring.
"You'll get him next time. You did good though." Charity reassures him.
Mark is the only one that heads backstage with Cody and Husky since the rookie challenge is up next. Charity stays in the ring with Jon, helping him recover from his match. It was a break so that gave us all time to head out to the ring. Stef stayed with Mike at the stage while the rookies came out, Alex and I being last of course. We waited around until Striker got into the ring for the challenge to start.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the NXT rookies. Now guys, it's hard to believe but it's been three weeks since you first stepped foot in a WWE ring. And now you are on the precipice..which means the beginning, of a milestone. Okay? One week from tonight, the WWE Universe and the WWE pros, will voice their opinions on how they feel each of you are doing in this competition. But rookies, I'm going to give you one last chance to win over the hearts and minds of the pros and the Universe. You will have 45 seconds to tell the world why you are the WWE's next breakout star. Why you will earn a championship match live on pay-per-view! Alex Riley, A-Ry, step forward. You've got 45 seconds, impress the world."
"Well Matt thank you very much, but after what I've done on this show, I shouldn't really need 45 seconds. But if you're gonna give me the TV time I'll take it. Because I have a question and that is, do you recognize me? Do I look familiar to you? Well I should because 10 years ago, I was stuffing you nerds in lockers and stealing your lunch money."
I can't help but laugh a little at that.
"And as you can see, not much has really changed except for the fact that I don't have to pick on little kids on the school bus anymore. Now I'm getting paid...to beat up losers on a program called WWE NXT!"
The buzzer then sounds, ending the 45 seconds, but Alex keeps going.
"And to be quite honest Matt, I shouldn't have to tell you, you should know that I am a superstar!" Alex finishes before Matt takes the mic away.
I laugh at Alex's goofiness when he comes back over to me, while Matt asks Kaval to step forward.
"45 seconds...tell the world."
"10 years ago I tried to get my foot in the door known as the WWE. 10 years ago they told me I was too small. 10 years since have passed and here I am standing before you, in this very ring here on NXT."
"Whoop dee doo for you." I roll my eyes.
"And without question, what I am...not only will I be the next WWE breakout star..." He goes on and the buzzer sounds.
"...but I'm going to prove to you and to everyone else that it is not the size of the fighter, but the size of the...." Kaval is cut off when they cut his mic.
"Ohhhh they cut his mic." I snicker.
"That's how it is here on NXT. Big Titus O'Neil, 45 seconds, go."
"Unlike some people that think they're better than you, I have had to work just like each and every one of ya'll in this building, each and every one of you at home for everything I've had to get in my life. From being a Hall of Famer at the University of Florida, to being a college graduate, I've been taught all my life when I want to. But I will tell you this, in the end I will make it a win!"
"Michael McGillicutty! 45 seconds, tell the world, go."
"Again tonight...I made it a win. But why should I be the next breakout star? Well, why not? 'Cause unlike my competition here, I possess no weakness. And so far, I'm undefeated here on NXT."
"So is Alex...duh."
"My name is Michael McGillicutty..."
"....and I have a big mouth." I joke, snickering, also making Alex snicker a bit.
"....and I am the WWE's next breakout star."
"Psh."
"Eli Cottonwood please step forward. 45 seconds, why are you the WWE's next breakout star?"
"Why am I the WWE next breakout star? Well that's pretty simple. Not only am I the baddest and the meanest here. But I'm willing to do something, nobody else is. I'm patient. I'll line the weeds, I'll hide in the shadows. And when I strike, I'll strike with vengeance. But you know what, none of this means anything. 'Cause my actions are gonna speak far louder than any of my words."
"Woooow...snoozefest."
"Showtime Percy Watson. 45 seconds, entertain us."
"Good lord." I laugh.
"Hey look here baby. Everybody knows what time it is with me baby. Of course I like to have a good time, just like the WWE Universe. Is that correct? Exactly right, exactly right baby. Hey I'm a heavy hitter and I'm not a quitter, you know what I'm saying? I may have a loss tonight, but I am getting better and better everyday, you know what I'm saying? I'ma keep it shaking and moving baby. I've got two words for ya'. Oh yeah!"
Charity, Alex and myself all cover our faces and chuckle.
"Lucky Cannon you just had a tough match, you've got 45 seconds, go."
"You know my whole life people have called me lucky but....it's not because I'm good at guessing people's ages or I get the best hand in cards. It's because I wake up every single morning. I'm lucky because I stand on my own two feet. I'm lucky because I get to come here every single week and do what I love to do. I'm lucky because I live in a country that allows me to do that. You see I know what I have and I appreciate it. And that's what sets me apart from the rest of these guys. And it may not be in the final yet, but I am WWE's next breakout star."
Charity can't help but smile and she kisses Jon briefly when he steps back next to her as Matt asks Husky to step forward.
"45 seconds, tell the world."
"I don't even need 45 seconds." Husky simply states before turning around.
He turns back around as Striker starts talking and he hits him from behind like Cody did last week. Almost immediately, Jon and Alex keep Charity and myself shielded behind them, away from any harm whatsoever if it should arise. Husky hits Striker with a running senton before getting out of the ring and going up the ramp to a proud Cody. His music hits and they head backstage before a replay of what happened goes off. Then we all leave the ring, before a few others check on Matt.
"I'm going to check on him." I say to Alex. "Meet you backstage?"
"Sure." He nods, kissing me briefly before heading up the ramp and I head around the ring to help check on Matt.
Charity does the same thing and we join Percy and Titus as they check on Matt. We all agree on helping him to the back so that he could get to a trainer to be checked out after the attack Husky delivered. Titus and Percy help him walk while Charity and I follow. After getting backstage, Percy and Titus say they've got him. We nod and head in the direction of the locker room where I'm sure, Mike, Jon and Alex have all finished getting changed to head back to the hotel for the rest of the night. When we get back, they're all exiting the room along with Stef. We all agree to head back to the hotel, and since the pool was still open we spent some time in the indoor pool before deciding to dry off and head upstairs to our rooms to relax for the night.
But that was last night, tonight is NXT. Alex would be teaming up with Mike to face MVP and Percy Watson. Stef and I would be there ringside for both of them. It feels great to have someone else there so we have someone else to talk to during the match. John would be facing Cody this week, as Cody had agreed to last week. This match would be a five minute match, Jon having to last that long in the ring with Cody, without being pinned of course. Then at the end of the night, each rookie has to state their case to the WWE Universe. Charity and myself will get to be in the ring with Jon and Alex for that.
"So do you think you can beat Cody tonight? I know you can. Cody may be cute and everything but you're my boyfriend and I favor you."
"I know you do. And I know I can beat him. I can last 5 minutes in the ring with him. I may be a rookie, but you know how I am in the ring."
"That's true. Just be careful alright?"
"I'll try my best. And by the way, you're looking absolutely stunning."
"Jon....." Charity blushes.
"What? It's true."
"As you say all the time."
"Ready to go?" He asks.
"Of course." She nods.
Jon grabs his gear bag, and Charity has the room and car keys, then they head out the door and to the elevator, heading down to the lobby. Once reaching the lobby, they head out to the parking lot. Jon puts his bag in the back seat, before getting into the passenger side and Charity gets into the driver's side and they head off to the arena for NXT.
Stef and Mike have currently finished getting ready themselves, making sure they have what they need before leaving.
"So what's going on for tonight?" Stef asks.
"Teaming with Alex to take on Percy and MVP. We'll win....of course."
"Duh." She laughs. "But hey that means Kalena and I can be ringside for the match. Yay."
"Our good luck charms."
"Of course. Maybe we'll even cause distractions too."
"Learned from the best." Mike chuckles.
"Yes we did. Although getting involved isn't really that hard to do. All you have to do is make sure the ref is distracted, which is easily done."
"Very true. All set to go?"
"Yup." She nods, and they grab everything before heading down to their car.
Last was Alex and myself. I had gotten dressed into a Lace One Shoulder Dress. The lace being over the red/magenta part of the dress. Matching the red/magenta color I had red/magenta eyeshadow and a ring. Everything was done so all I had was my shoes to put on. So after coming out of the bathroom, I grab the shoes I picked out and sat on the bed to put them on. I got one shoe on and buckled, before an arm snaked around my waist and a kiss was placed on the back of my neck.
"Alex..." I respond, my eyes closing as I enjoy the feeling.
"What? Just showing my affection."
"I'm not even finished getting ready yet. Couldn't wait?" I giggle.
"Not really."
"Dork. If I give you a real kiss, will you let me finish so we're not late?"
"Maybe."
I shift in my spot and turn around, pressing my lips to his. When I go to pull away a bit after, he holds me there for a little bit longer, before letting me go.
"Now you can finish." He grins, moving from the bed and getting the rest of his things together.
"Thank you." I smile, before getting my other shoe on and buckle that.
After standing up, I adjust my dress a little before making sure I have what I need for tonight.
"I can't wait to be cheering you on tonight in your match. No offense but Percy's weird. He may be good in the ring, but he's got a weird personality."
"He does, but hey it's entertaining right?"
"Right." I nod. "I know you and Mike can win this. No one can beat you."
"Just as long as I don't get distracted by you, I think I'll be good...because you are distracting afterall."
"Oops, my bad."
"That's okay though. Set to go?"
"Yup."
Then we head out the door after grabbing all our things and we go down to the car, getting in and heading off to the arena. We all get to the arena at different times. Jon and Charity get to the locker room first and he goes to change. Mike and Stef get there next and Mike changes. Then Alex and I get there last and Alex goes to change. We were able to relax for a bit as the show was getting set up. But a stagehand soon knocked on the door and asked for Mike and Alex, because the show would be starting soon and their match is starting the show off.
"Wish us luck."
"Luck."
Alex and I lace fingers as we walk out, and Stef and Mike do the same. We waited in the curtained area for us to be called out, along with MVP and Percy who just showed up. The show started, the NXT intro playing. That's followed by the pyros of course. The rest of the pros then went out to sit on the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to NXT! The rookies are ready to impress and they're about to have their chance. Because the first match begins right now!"
They play Mike's music first and the four of us walk out onto the stage. After Alex and Mike posed on the stage, Stef and I locked arms with them as we walked down the ramp.
"The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for onefall. Introducing first the combined weight of 244 pounds, accompanied to the ring by Kalena and Stefanie, Alex Riley and the United States Champion The Miz!"
We let go of Mike and Alex as they get into the ring. We go up the stairs, Mike and Alex both holding the ropes for us to get into the ring. Alex and Mike both pose in the corners, before Mike's music fades and MVP's goes off, him and Percy coming out.
"And their opponents, with the combined weight of 248 pounds, Showtime Percy Watson and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP!"
Percy starts dancing outside the ropes on the apron and I raise an eyebrow. Stef and I have stepped outside the ropes. Mike removed his shirt and handed that to Stef, along with the title before giving her a brief kiss. Alex removes his vest and hands that to me as well, giving me a brief kiss himself. Stef and I get down from the ring, standing ringside to watch the match and cheer Mike and Alex on.
It starts off with Alex and MVP, beacuse Alex told Mike that he wanted to start things off with MVP. I nod in approval and clap for him.
"Let's go Alex!"
Alex tells MVP that he doesn't want him, he wants Percy.
"Woo!"
Percy got the crowd clapping, before they go for a lock up, but Alex kicks him in the leg before getting him in a headlock. Pushed into the ropes, Alex comes back and hits him with a hard shoulder block. Percy gets up as Alex sits on top of one of the corner and poses with a smile on his face. Stef and I can't help but laugh.
"Always gotta be a goof." I laugh.
"Of course."
Alex hops down to continue the match. They circle before locking up finally and another headlock on Percy, followed by another hard shoulder block. Alex then goes back against the ropes and hops over Percy and then Percy leap frogs over Alex, followed by a dropkick.
"Ohh, come on Alex!"
Percy hits another. Then he trips Alex and holds him to the mat before MVP tags himself in and then they double team him. Once Percy leaves the ring, MVP grabs Alex and throws him out of the ring and to the floor. I go to move to check on him, but Stef stops me when we see Mike hop down and go over to him.
"Let Mike do his coaching right now."
"But..."
"The look on Mike's face isn't good. Don't want him yelling at you in character."
"True..." I sigh and we look on from a distance.
Mike then of course starts yelling at Alex and they get into an argument. Alex gets back into the ring, and Mike yells at Alex to tag him him and he does. MVP tags in Percy and Mike goes right to work on him. Alex reaches for a tag, telling Mike to give him Percy, and Mike does tag him in. Alex then takes control of the match and he starts getting in the ref's face. The ref gets distracted by MVP and Mike gets sneaky and keeps the power on their side. Alex then gets him in a potential submission and Mike starts talking smack to Percy. MVP's reaching for a tag, but Percy can't get over to him. They eventually get to their feet and Percy counters and tags in MVP. MVP takes control of the match from there.
"Alex move!!!" Stef and I say at the same time with Mike.
He doesn't move and we cringe. But when Alex gets up, he holds onto the ropes, and kicks MVP in the leg, making him let go. Alex hits MVP and sends him flying into his corner where Percy tags himself in. Alex runs over and tags Mike in as well. But Percy is fired up and knocks Mike down. He then jumps and flips kind of, landing on Mike. He goes for the cover, but Alex rushes in and stops it. MVP comes in and goes after Alex, knocking himself and Alex over the top rope. I go to check on Alex while Stef pays attention to the match. Mike counters Percy and he falls onto the top rope. That's followed by a Skull Crushing Finale and Mike gets the 3 count for the win. I was helping Alex up and Mike was saying something to Percy while MVP got in the ring to get in Mike's face. Alex quickly gets into the ring with my help and he joined Mike with the arguing with MVP. Once that was done, they raised each other's hands in victory before getting out of the ring by us.
Stef hands Mike back his title and I hand Alex back his vest and we all make our way around the ring to head back. We follow them up the ramp and stand next to them when they pose. And since we didn't get to do this in the ring with them, at the top of the ramp, we lace our fingers with theirs and raise their hands in victory ourselves before heading backstage.
"You did it!" Stef exclaims happily, wrapping her arms around Mike in a hug.
"Your second win. 2 and 0." I say to Alex.
"And as long as you keep doing what I say, you'll be the next breakout star in no time." Mike adds.
"Ahem....aren't you forgetting a couple people Mike?"
"Correction....as long as you listen to us, you'll be the next breakout star in no time." He corrects himself.
"Better." I nod. "Well I'm gonna head to catering, getting a bit thirsty and I could use a snack." I add.
"Want me to come with you?" Alex asks.
"I think I'll be fine. I'll take Stef with me. You spend time with your pro okay?"
"Okay." He chuckles. "Meet you back here?"
"Of course." I nod, leaning up and kissing him.
"Same goes for me." Stef says to Mike before kissing him as well.
Then we both head off to catering to kill some time. When we get there we find Charity, so we get what we want and join her at the table.
"Hey, where's Jon?"
"Talking with Mark. Strategizing for his match against Cody tonight."
"Ohh."
"What about Alex and Mike?"
"They're spending time together, probably will strategize their next match either as a tag team or single's match."
"Oh, true. So seems like an early night for us. Not sticking around for SmackDown this week."
"Yeah seems so. Another busy week with FCW stuff, signings, etc. Gonna need all the sleep we can get. Hell I know I will. I've been exhausted lately. Maybe going to bed early will help tonight."
"Probably."
"Well I've got to get out there with Mike to watch the matches." Stef says getting up, after grabbing a bottle of water on the table nearby.
"Alright, have fun."
"Will do."
After the promo on Titus, it was time for the next match. McGillicutty with Kofi Kingston vs Titus O'Neil with Zack Ryder. At that time, Alex and Jon had come into catering.
"Oh, looks like they couldn't wait." I giggle.
"Of course not." Charity laughs.
The match begins as they come over and find us, sitting next to us.
"Miss us already?"
"That obvious huh?"
"Uh huh."
Titus and Michael lock up, before Titus is pushed into the corner, Michael letting go almost immediately. Titus comes back and they lock up again before Titus throws Michael into the corner before spearing him once. That's when Michael fires back. Coming off the ropes, Titus catches him and drops him in the corner. He throws him into the opposite before throwing him into the original corner he was in. He goes for a pin attempt, but Michael kicks out.
"That's not enough to win the match."
"Yeah, he needs to do more."
Titus stomps on him a few times before helping him up and throwing him into the ropes, clotheslining him when he comes back. Going for another pin, Michael kicks out. Now he's in a reverse chin lock, until Michael was able to get to his feet. That's when Michael gets out of the hold, but his strategy didn't work. Titus goes for pin attempt #3, but Michael kicks out. Titus picks him up and drops him and bounces off the ropes, only for Michael to lift his legs and Titus falls on them. They both get to his feet before Michael hits the spinning neck breaker, getting the three count to win the match.
"Someone else is 2 and 0."
"But you're much better than him." I tell Alex.
"You bet I am."
"Well only two more matches until your first little challenge thing."
"Yup...Kaval vs Eli. That can't go good for Kaval at all."
"Not really."
"And then you vs Cody." Charity says to Jon.
The next match, Eli vs Kaval with Eli coming out, John joining him ringside. Kaval was already in the ring with LayCool ringside. The bell rings, starting the match and Kaval goes right for the legs before Eli pushes him into the corner. Kaval uses the corner to his advantage, but Eli throws him back into the corner.
"See? Told you."
He then gets him in a bear hug, but Kaval starts hitting him to make him let go. And it works once he's in the corner. Kaval counters, trying to inflict as much pain on Eli as possible. Eli throws Kaval off the top rope and misses a clothesline and Kaval catches Eli on the chin. Eli flings Kaval across the ring and outside it. Kaval jumps from the top and hits Eli on the back on the neck. He goes for a pin attempt but Eli surprisingly kicks out. Kaval jumps from the top and Eli catches him, and manhandles him, going for the cover and gets the pin.
"2 and 0 with you and McGillicutty." I say to Alex.
"Again though...he's better than both of them."
"Will always be true." I grin before kissing him briefly.
Once the victory celebration was over, the next rookie introduction video was shown. This one was on Jon, talking about his life changing in 2004 where he was hit in the back of the head with a lead pipe, being a coma in 3 weeks, forgetting everything, learning how to walk and talk again. And then of course he talked about meeting Charity and how lucky he was to meet her.
"Awwwwww." I smile. "That's so cute."
"Well I am lucky that I met her." He grins, kissing her.
Coming back from a quick break, Kaval was recovering backstage when LayCool came up.
"Think about it, you've already lost twice and third time's a charm." Michelle states.
"That sounded like an insult to me.
"Michelle..." Layla trails off before she and Michelle talk over one another.
"Real talk."
"Kaval, are you with us?"
"Are you with us?" Layla repeats.
"Yeah, I'm with you."
"He's with us." They say in unison.
"Okay good, because we've been dying to give you this gift. Are you ready? Close your eyes."
He closes his eyes, but hesitantly.
"One, two, three. Yayyyy."
He opens his eyes and the camera pans out to show a pink shirt that says 'Property Of LayCool'.
"The hell...."
"....is that?"
"Property of..."
"...LayCool."
"Do you love it?"
"Do you love it?"
"Yeah....it's wonderful."
"It is, I know."
"I really don't know what to say."
"Uh, say thank you."
"Uh duh."
"Do I have to wear it?" Kaval asks.
"Of course, you should wear it all the time."
"I mean when you're with us..."
"...when you're without us..."
"...when you're sleeping..."
"...when you're eating or working out..."
"..Michelle do you see this?"
"Kaval, we have taught you this before. This is the money maker."
"Seriously."
"Seriously."
"Turn this frown..."
"....upside down."
"Yayyyyy."
The screen fades out on LayCool trying to get him to smile.
"Wooooow." I shake my head.
Then they replay what happened last week between Striker and Cody where he attacked Matt from behind. After that, what happened in the main event last night on Raw when Mr. McMahon was attacked by the former rookies of NXT Season One. While that was going, Mark came into catering and spotted Lucky, waving him over.
"Oh looks like the match will be coming up. We gotta go."
"We'll be cheering for you, have fun." I say as he and Charity get up.
"Oh I will."
Charity and Jon lace fingers and head out of catering, following Mark to the curtain. Once there, they wait as the reply ends and Husky goes out to join Cody in the ring. It takes while before they play Mark's but when they do, Mark, Charity and Jon go out and Charity has a modified version of Jon's shirt that she had made just for her. Mark gets out of the ring and Charity stays in the ring with Jon, while Mark gets out of the ring. Charity keeps her fingers laced with his.
"Alright Lucky we're gonna do something a little different here. Last week I said that if you could...I said you'd be lucky if you could last five minutes with me. So what we're gonna do, is we're gonna have a five minute challenge. Give me five minutes. And I have a feeling Lucky that, your luck is gonna run out before those five minutes do."
Husky leaves the ring and Jon kisses Charity before she gets out of the ring herself. The bell rings to start the match. They circle and then lock up, Jon getting pushed into the corner. Cody backs up at three before they circle again before Cody twists his arm and knees him in the gut. He does it again before shoving him away. Jon comes back with an elbow to the face and then Cody slaps him. He slaps him again before taking him down.
"Come on Lucky!" Charity encourages from ringside.
Jon eventually counters the hold and then Cody gets free, both of them getting to their feet. Cody however dropkicks Jon and he rolls out of the ring by Mark and Charity. The ref was distracted for a moment and Charity kept her eye on Husky. Cody got out of the ring and Charity and Mark both backed up. Cody punches him and he falls back into the barrier. He hits him again before grabbing him and throwing him back into the ring. Jon takes Cody down, but Cody comes back. Cody stomps away on Jon.
"Come on!" Charity yells again.
Cody pulls Jon away from the ropes, hitting him in the back of the head with his elbow. He does it again before lifting Jon onto his back, holding him there in a submission.
"Reverse it! Come on!"
Jon does, getting down and he rolls Cody up real quick, but only getting a two count. That's when Jon takes control of the match, planting Cody face first. He goes for the cover, but Cody kicks out. Thrown into the ropes and when Cody comes back he kicks Jon in the shoulder. Cody bounces back off the ropes to be met by a big boot to the face by Jon.
"YES! Cover him! Cover him now!"
He covers him but only getting a two count.
"That's okay. You only got to last another minute and 36 seconds!"
Jon continues the attack on Cody in the corner until he goes to throw him into the opposite corner, only to be Irish Whipped into it himself. Jon jumps up and over Cody as he charges at him, but Cody hits him with a kick to the face. Cody sets him up for the Cross Rhodes and hits it, winning the match.
"Damn." Charity mutters under her breath.
Mark goes to check on Jon and then Charity does. She helps Mark get him to his feet in the ring.
"You'll get him next time. You did good though." Charity reassures him.
Mark is the only one that heads backstage with Cody and Husky since the rookie challenge is up next. Charity stays in the ring with Jon, helping him recover from his match. It was a break so that gave us all time to head out to the ring. Stef stayed with Mike at the stage while the rookies came out, Alex and I being last of course. We waited around until Striker got into the ring for the challenge to start.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the NXT rookies. Now guys, it's hard to believe but it's been three weeks since you first stepped foot in a WWE ring. And now you are on the precipice..which means the beginning, of a milestone. Okay? One week from tonight, the WWE Universe and the WWE pros, will voice their opinions on how they feel each of you are doing in this competition. But rookies, I'm going to give you one last chance to win over the hearts and minds of the pros and the Universe. You will have 45 seconds to tell the world why you are the WWE's next breakout star. Why you will earn a championship match live on pay-per-view! Alex Riley, A-Ry, step forward. You've got 45 seconds, impress the world."
"Well Matt thank you very much, but after what I've done on this show, I shouldn't really need 45 seconds. But if you're gonna give me the TV time I'll take it. Because I have a question and that is, do you recognize me? Do I look familiar to you? Well I should because 10 years ago, I was stuffing you nerds in lockers and stealing your lunch money."
I can't help but laugh a little at that.
"And as you can see, not much has really changed except for the fact that I don't have to pick on little kids on the school bus anymore. Now I'm getting paid...to beat up losers on a program called WWE NXT!"
The buzzer then sounds, ending the 45 seconds, but Alex keeps going.
"And to be quite honest Matt, I shouldn't have to tell you, you should know that I am a superstar!" Alex finishes before Matt takes the mic away.
I laugh at Alex's goofiness when he comes back over to me, while Matt asks Kaval to step forward.
"45 seconds...tell the world."
"10 years ago I tried to get my foot in the door known as the WWE. 10 years ago they told me I was too small. 10 years since have passed and here I am standing before you, in this very ring here on NXT."
"Whoop dee doo for you." I roll my eyes.
"And without question, what I am...not only will I be the next WWE breakout star..." He goes on and the buzzer sounds.
"...but I'm going to prove to you and to everyone else that it is not the size of the fighter, but the size of the...." Kaval is cut off when they cut his mic.
"Ohhhh they cut his mic." I snicker.
"That's how it is here on NXT. Big Titus O'Neil, 45 seconds, go."
"Unlike some people that think they're better than you, I have had to work just like each and every one of ya'll in this building, each and every one of you at home for everything I've had to get in my life. From being a Hall of Famer at the University of Florida, to being a college graduate, I've been taught all my life when I want to. But I will tell you this, in the end I will make it a win!"
"Michael McGillicutty! 45 seconds, tell the world, go."
"Again tonight...I made it a win. But why should I be the next breakout star? Well, why not? 'Cause unlike my competition here, I possess no weakness. And so far, I'm undefeated here on NXT."
"So is Alex...duh."
"My name is Michael McGillicutty..."
"....and I have a big mouth." I joke, snickering, also making Alex snicker a bit.
"....and I am the WWE's next breakout star."
"Psh."
"Eli Cottonwood please step forward. 45 seconds, why are you the WWE's next breakout star?"
"Why am I the WWE next breakout star? Well that's pretty simple. Not only am I the baddest and the meanest here. But I'm willing to do something, nobody else is. I'm patient. I'll line the weeds, I'll hide in the shadows. And when I strike, I'll strike with vengeance. But you know what, none of this means anything. 'Cause my actions are gonna speak far louder than any of my words."
"Woooow...snoozefest."
"Showtime Percy Watson. 45 seconds, entertain us."
"Good lord." I laugh.
"Hey look here baby. Everybody knows what time it is with me baby. Of course I like to have a good time, just like the WWE Universe. Is that correct? Exactly right, exactly right baby. Hey I'm a heavy hitter and I'm not a quitter, you know what I'm saying? I may have a loss tonight, but I am getting better and better everyday, you know what I'm saying? I'ma keep it shaking and moving baby. I've got two words for ya'. Oh yeah!"
Charity, Alex and myself all cover our faces and chuckle.
"Lucky Cannon you just had a tough match, you've got 45 seconds, go."
"You know my whole life people have called me lucky but....it's not because I'm good at guessing people's ages or I get the best hand in cards. It's because I wake up every single morning. I'm lucky because I stand on my own two feet. I'm lucky because I get to come here every single week and do what I love to do. I'm lucky because I live in a country that allows me to do that. You see I know what I have and I appreciate it. And that's what sets me apart from the rest of these guys. And it may not be in the final yet, but I am WWE's next breakout star."
Charity can't help but smile and she kisses Jon briefly when he steps back next to her as Matt asks Husky to step forward.
"45 seconds, tell the world."
"I don't even need 45 seconds." Husky simply states before turning around.
He turns back around as Striker starts talking and he hits him from behind like Cody did last week. Almost immediately, Jon and Alex keep Charity and myself shielded behind them, away from any harm whatsoever if it should arise. Husky hits Striker with a running senton before getting out of the ring and going up the ramp to a proud Cody. His music hits and they head backstage before a replay of what happened goes off. Then we all leave the ring, before a few others check on Matt.
"I'm going to check on him." I say to Alex. "Meet you backstage?"
"Sure." He nods, kissing me briefly before heading up the ramp and I head around the ring to help check on Matt.
Charity does the same thing and we join Percy and Titus as they check on Matt. We all agree on helping him to the back so that he could get to a trainer to be checked out after the attack Husky delivered. Titus and Percy help him walk while Charity and I follow. After getting backstage, Percy and Titus say they've got him. We nod and head in the direction of the locker room where I'm sure, Mike, Jon and Alex have all finished getting changed to head back to the hotel for the rest of the night. When we get back, they're all exiting the room along with Stef. We all agree to head back to the hotel, and since the pool was still open we spent some time in the indoor pool before deciding to dry off and head upstairs to our rooms to relax for the night.