A/N: I own nothing WWE related, just Rosanna McQueen and her endearing sass.
"First, accompanied to the ring by Rosanna McQueen, from Davenport, Iowa—Seth Rollins!"
Seth strode down to the ring with a determined look on his face. Rosanna followed behind him closely with a wide smile in anticipation of his match.
When they reached the steel steps, Seth ascended first and scuffed his boots on the apron as was custom. Rosanna climbed the stairs at a slower pace due to the heeled boots she wore, but soon joined Seth's side on the apron to pose. As the crowd cheered, Seth sat on the second rope and held up the top rope for her. He smirked as she bent at the waist to enter the ring and the cropped shirt of his that she wore rode up higher to reveal part of her lower back tattoo.
Rosanna showcased Seth with a grand gesture as he climbed the turnbuckle to pose for the crowd. He confidently pounded his chest with his fist before jumping off the second rope and turning midair to face Rosanna in his corner. He took her by the hand to pull her close as they waited for his mystery opponent.
At the top of the ramp, the titantron changed images from the entrance way to a live feed from one of the offices in the backstage area. Standing in front of a mustard colored wall was acting General Manager of Raw, Baron Corbin. As usual he wore his plaid vest atop a long-sleeved black dress shirt.
"Seth!" Corbin greeted jovially. "And Rosanna, too! Glad you got the memo for your match tonight! I've hand-picked a very special opponent for you. I know you were told it was a mystery opponent but see, Seth, that was the biggest clue you could've asked for! You will be taking on this man tonight." Corbin pointed forward.
The tron went black until the shape of a familiar mask appeared at its center and smoke began to billow from the stage. The opening shouts of "Booyaka!" and "619!" left no doubt in the minds of the fans in attendance and watching at home who Seth would be in a match against tonight. The fans began cheering loudly as different masks from the collection of Rey Mysterio cycled through the mask shape on the tron.
Both Seth and Rosanna were surprised that Mysterio would be in the arena that night; he hadn't been seen since the Royal Rumble match almost 8 months prior. This was an opponent that couldn't have been prepared for.
Mysterio, to his credit, didn't look like he had missed a beat since the Rumble—he was more muscular than he had been during his past years in the company. His physique wasn't the only thing different, it appeared. Instead of slapping the fans' hands on his way down the ramp, Mysterio walked slowly and with purpose, a dangerous look in his eyes as he bypassed the small children in the front row. His eyes never left the pair in the ring while Jojo introduced him.
As Mysterio grew closer, Seth's grip on Rosanna's hand tightened. He wanted to shift her behind him, shield her body with his own, but he knew better than to try. Rosanna was more than capable of handling herself, but he worried.
"Hey," her voice broke into his thoughts. "Remember what "Rey" is Spanish for. Remember who you are, Kingslayer."
Seth tore his eyes from the man across from him to look at the woman beside him. "Thanks, Mufasa." He brought their still intertwined hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
Rosanna smiled softly as he dropped their hands and began to take his vest off. Seth handed her the vest and turned to hold the ropes for her to exit the ring. She did so quickly, spying the timekeeper's impatient look as he rang the bell.
The two men charged at one another and locked up, the force behind their steps jarring the canvas. Seth attempted to gain control with a transition from a headlock into a wristlock but was countered by an impressive reversal from Mysterio.
Rosanna recognized that there would be a feeling-out process on Seth's side due to his inability to prepare for this particular opponent, but she hoped it was fast. The sooner he was able to put the veteran away, the better.
As time wore on, though, she grew concerned at how quickly Mysterio was able to move and gain the upper hand. Despite her encouragement, Seth was currently lying prone as Rey climbed the turnbuckle for what Rosanna assumed would be a frog splash.
Pounding on the mat again, she called out to Seth to get up, regain control.
Just as Mysterio was planting his feet on the ropes for balance, Seth sprang up and jumped to the second rope for a superplex. Mysterio's body came down with a thundering crash but Seth wasn't done; he rolled through the possible pin attempt and launched Mysterio back up to perform a flawless falcon arrow, hooking the leg.
1…2..Break!
Rosanna's head fell into her hands in frustration, but she looked up just in time to see Seth attempt a superkick. Instead of simply ducking the kick, Mysterio pulled the ref into the line of fire, the man in the striped shirt falling like a ton of bricks.
Without the watchful eyes of the referee upon him, Mysterio look the opportunity to rake Seth's eyes and sweep his feet out from under him. This caused Seth to stumble right into the perfect position for the 619 finisher.
Taking three large steps to her right, Rosanna didn't think—she just acted. As she saw Rey grab the ropes to swing his legs directly into Seth's prone form, she jumped into a kneeling position on the apron and covered Seth with her own body, his head tucked into the curve of her stomach. Pain exploded across her back as she felt the impact of the move and she shoved Seth backwards into the ring. Falling to the side, the edge of the apron caught her already aching back, more pain blooming across her body.
Rolling onto her stomach, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. With each inflation of her lungs the pain surged forward causing tears to prick at the corner of her eyes.
She was unsure of how long she stayed like that but the next thing she knew she was hearing the deafening roar of the crowd and then Seth's music.
'Thank goodness something good came of this,' she thought.
A shadow appeared to her left and a hand took hers.
"Rosie, talk to me."
She exhaled slowly. "I'm ok but I hurt. A lot." The grip on her hand tightened at her words.
"Let's get you to the back. Can you stand?" Seth asked.
"Let me try," she answered, biting her lip.
Seth nodded. "Go slow, I got you."
The crowd clapped loudly as Rosanna was able to get to her feet. With the help of Seth's arms around her she was able to walk without too much pain up the ramp and into the backstage area.
Several concerned looks were thrown her way as they made their way through the maze of arena hallways. As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with Renee Young, a microphone held in her hands and a camera man by her side.
"Rosanna, Seth, can I get a word?" she asked, tipping the mic forward.
"Sure," Rosanna replied before Seth was able to decline.
Renee smiled weakly. "Thank you. Rosanna, we just saw you take the impact of a full 619 from a returning Rey Mysterio. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling like I got hit by a mack truck right now, but a bit of pain never bothered me. I'm just happy I was able to help protect this handsome face," Rosanna replied, reaching up and cupping Seth's cheek.
Seth cast a sideways glance at her. "Well this handsome face would have preferred you stay out of the line of fire, but I also know better than to tell you what to do."
Renee turned the mic to him. "Are we going to see you and Rey Mysterio do battle after this? The King of Mystery has never taken a loss lightly."
Seth smirked. "There's a reason they call me the Kingslayer and you saw it tonight just like you saw it at Wrestlemania. If Mysterio wants me, he knows where to find me and now he knows exactly who's by my side."
