A.N - This is another story written by myself and fellow fanfiction author amydotnet. Again, this story will most likely not get finished as this is for a college assignment only. But, if we get time we may update it. :)
The hallway seemed never-ending as the red-haired girl stared wide-eyed down it. She could see wrestlers loitering in the corridor, some she recognised from all her years of watching WWE. She couldn't believe she was actually stood there, backstage, amongst all of them. She received glances from curious eyes, they watched her like hawks as she made her way down the long corridor. Unfortunately, this was her only way to get where she needed to go, Vince McMahon's office. She was so nervous! She was still trying to wrap her head around that she was actually there, in the WWE. Her dream had finally come true, she just hoped she didn't mess it up.
Travelling from Vermont, all the way down to Missouri had been very daunting. It took her nearly two days' worth of driving to get there, with stops in between. She stayed the night in a quaint hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, before making an early start to get to St Louis for Monday Night Raw.
The golden nameplate on the mahogany door screamed "Vince McMahon" in large, black, fancy lettering. Lexi took a deep breath, smoothing her hair down and knocked.
'Come in.' shouted a very familiar voice, one she had heard many times on television.
The nineteen-year-old steeled her face to an emotionless mask and walked in with an air of confidence that looked pretty convincing, if she said so herself. That was one thing she prided herself in, the ability to mask her face so no one could read her emotions.
Decked out in his expensive, tailored suit was the Chairman of the WWE, he looked up as she entered and smiled slightly, an expression she had never seen on his face, except for the cocky smirk he always showed on television.
'Alyxandria Jacobi? I'm Vince McMahon, but please, call me Vince. Take a seat.' He gestured the highly comfortable-looking chair.
'Please, call me Lexi.' Lexi shook Vince's hand when he held it out for her to take. His large hand dwarfed her petite one.
'How about we get this meeting started?' Vince picked up several papers that littered his desk. Lexi knew it was her file, a file that told Vince McMahon everything about her. Not everything.'Lexi hoped.
'You've been training for three years, correct?'
Lexi smiled, 'Yes, sir. I started training at a small indie circuit in Montpelier, I was approached by the founder – Jay Mahone – and he suggested that I move to a bigger circuit where more people will see my talent, his words, not mine.' She smiled, thinking of the man that pushed her to move away from her hometown and pursue her dreams. 'To say I was shocked when Shawn wanted to work with me, is an understatement, he said I was a rising star.'
Vince smiled discretely. This was definitely the type of girl he wanted to work for the WWE. She was different from all of the other girls that walked through that door. She was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but she wasn't made-up like all the other Divas. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and Converse, much like AJ and a baggy t-shirt that didn't compliment her at all, but she didn't seem to care.
The meeting continued for another ten minutes and Lexi was starting to get nervous, Vince hadn't said a whole lot.
He passed a very thick bundle of papers, I knew this was a contract. I picked it and began to read. Everything seemed to be in order, she thought, signing her name in her unique script.
" "
'Welcome to the WWE.' was all he said after a tense silence, he looked up at her with a wide grin and shook her hand once again.
Lexi was in absolute shock. She couldn't believe those words were coming out of his mouth. "Welcome to the WWE." She was surprised he wanted to hire her, she was only nineteen, she had only had three years of experience. Lexi knew she was good, above average. All of the diva wrestling she had seen on television was mediocre at best. AJ Lee was by far her favourite Diva and they had the same style.
'Thank you, so much.' Lexi couldn't stop the large, toothy smile that bombarded her face.
She left the office in a daze, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest. The hallway she had walked down, just half an hour before seemed shorter.
The catering room was a very big room. Well, it had to be to fit hundreds of people. Lexi caught sight of a familiar superstar, one of her all-time favourites, CM Punk twiddling his wrists, covered with his signature white tape, adorned with black "x". He stared, transfixed on one of the many televisions in front of him. Curtis Axel accompanied by Paul Heyman was wrestling against the leader of the new faction – The Shield – Dean Ambrose, joined by his teammates, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
'Excuse me. Can I sit here? All the other tables are full.' Lexi asked quietly, not wanting to startle him.
Punk's hazel eyes snapped to her own brown with a glare before they softened and he nodded, moving over so she could fit in next to him.
'Knock yourself out.'
They sat in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say, 'I'm Lexi.'
'I'm Phil, but, uh, you can call me Punk. Everyone does.' smiled Phil, looking at the young girl next to him.
She was very young, maybe eighteen - nineteen years old. She had fiery red hair that fell down to her shoulders in waves and dark, russet-brown eyes that seemed too dark for her very fair skin.
'You have a match tonight?' the red-haired girl asked the Straight Edge superstar.
'Yeah, after this.' he nodded to the screen where Ambrose used his signature move, the Snap DDT on the losing Axel with a screaming Heyman outside the ring. 'Do you?'
'Nah, my first match should be next week on RAW, according to Vince.' she smiled. She was still reeling. She was actually sat next to one of her favourite wrestlers, totally having a fangirl moment, but she managed to keep her face masked perfectly.
The bearded man grunted and turned back towards the screen, leaving the girl to her muddled thoughts. She didn't get very far. On the tele, Dean Ambrose pinned Axel with a vicious spear that made his head smash to the mat. 1...2...3... Ambrose retained his United States Championship. He stood and smirked as the other members of The Shield entered the ring, Seth Rollins in the lead. The tallest member, Roman Reigns picked up Dean as if he was a sack of flour, in a congratulatory hug. After releasing him, the three menacing, black-clad, superstars sneered at the defeated Curtis Axel and his manager, who was screaming minor obscenities at the three men as they stalked their prey. Dean and Seth hoisted the fallen man into their arms, while Roman crouched slightly as the dead-weight of Axel was lifted onto his muscular shoulders. Much to the crowd's approval, they then performed the three-man body slam, making the whole ring shake as Heyman cried at his fallen client.
As their theme tune played once again, The Shield made their way back through the crowd as the WWE fans screamed in a mixture of cheers and boos.
The next match started a few minutes later, just as "Cult of Personality'" by Living Colour blasted throughout the arena, along with thousands of fans screaming.
'Good luck.' said Lexi as Phil made his move.
'Luck? I don't need luck. I'm the best in the world.' he smiled back at her with a friendly wink before making his way to the curtain.
One of the camera operators followed the Straight Edge Superstar closely as he made his way down the ramp to the ring. He stopped, just before he was about to enter.
'I'm the Best in the World!' he shouted, to the crowd's elation.
It was obvious that CM Punk was one of the best, due to the 10,000 live reactions. Either you loved him or hated him, though most people thought the latter. Lexi loved him. He was one of her all-time favourite, other than Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. It was such an honour when Michael Hickenbottom wanted to train her, her, a girl from a random street in Montpelier.
Using the bottom rope to pull himself, Punk made his way, smirking, to the furthest corner. He wanted to be as far away from his opponent as possible. Orton was going to be in a foul mood, especially after the match he lost the week before against Punk. He and Orton had been in a feud since Randy became the new Face of the WWE, over-throwing John Cena's long ten year reign. The character of CM Punk didn't agree with how Triple H was handling the company, saying that 'it's what's best for business'.
It was funny really, even though they hated each other on TV and they couldn't break character, also known as kayfabe, Randy and Phil were the best of friends, along with the rest of the RAW roster and the SmackDown roster. There were some superstars that Punk didn't necessarily get along with, just like any other job.
"Voices" by Rev Theory pounded through the massive speakers that sat next to the titantron. The Chaifetz Arena held over 10,000 WWE fans. The screaming rose to a deafening level as the Apex Predator sauntered from behind the curtain. His body was shiny with oil and his tattoos seemed more prominent in the bright spot light that followed him as he descended the ramp, slowly, calculating his opponents move.
'Making his way to the ring, from St Louis, Missouri, weighing in at 235 pounds. He is the Apex Predator, RANDY ORTON!' boomed the voice of Justin Roberts, the ring announcer for RAW, as he stood in the middle of the ring, patiently waiting for the other man to reach it.
CM Punk leaned against the far turnbuckle, as far away as he could get from the stalking predator. His eyes were hard and focused, but there was an underlying emotion hid there. The predator's eyes were on him, like a snake ready to strike. Punk could definitely see why he was the Apex Predator.
Randy slid into the ring, grazing the bottom rope with his head. He stood slowly, still staring his opponent in the eyes, before leaning on the opposite turnbuckle, stretching his legs and arms, ready for the fight that was about to commence.
'Introducing his opponent, from Chicago, Illinois, weighing in at 218 pounds. He is the Best in the World, CM PUNK.' CM Punk shook his head and smirked at the loud mixture of cheers and boos he was receiving, he didn't care what people thought of him, he was the best in his eyes and he would show the Apex Predator who was boss.
The referee, Charles Robinson, was clad in the signature black and white striped t-shirt and black trousers, stood between the two wrestlers, with his hands held out, separating the angry men.
The bell rang, signalling the start of the match. The ref dodged out of the way as Orton ran furiously past him, pushing Punk to the floor roughly. Punk quickly took charge and stood, dodging hits from the angry man, retaliating with hits of his own, all connecting with the sneering face of Randy Orton.
No way was he finished, Randy quickly body-slammed Punk as he ran towards him. As Punk laid on the mat, Randy dropped down and, like a viper ready to strike, he started to stalk his opponent, pounding his fists against the hard ring, as he did so. His eyes were narrowed and they did look snake-like.
Just as Punk got to his feet, Randy jumped up and attempted a very sly, quick RKO, but Punk scooped him up and countered it with an unexpected GTS. Orton recovered quickly, quicker than Punk expected. Randy used this to his advantage and, much to the fans disappointment, caught Punk in an RKO that almost knocked him out cold. He laid there, dazed as Randy covered him for a pin. One, two, three… Followed by boos from the crowd just as Randy's theme song began once again.
A few seconds later, the bell rang… Randy Orton had pinned CM Punk to retain the championship!
Behind the curtain, the superstars and divas who watched clapped and cheered as they watched them in the ring. The match went off without a hitch.
Lexi stood there, rooted to the spot, this was actually happening. She felt as she were part of the audience, as she sat, watching her idol on one of the backstage monitors. She could barely believe she was here. She almost had to mentally hold herself back from pinching herself in case it was all a dream.
Phil walked backstage, followed by a beaming Randy Orton was carrying his championship belt, grinning from ear to ear.
Lexi smiled at Punk as he walked past, most likely heading to the locker room that he shared with several other wrestlers.