A/N: I absolutely loved the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. I got this idea after watching the end of the pay-per-view. I am not one of those wrestling fans who think one company is better than the other. It's okay to have your own opinion though. But, in my opinion, every wrestling company has something special about them. On another note, I am super excited about this triangle. I hope you all enjoy this story.
The face claim for Jennifer Best is Caity Lotz.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KENNY OMEGA OR JON MOXLEY/DEAN AMBROSE.
LACRYMOSA
Chapter 1: How Does It Feel
"Come in," Jennifer Best heard from the other side of the door. She walked into the locker room of none other than: Kenny Omega. She came to get him since their pay-per-view: Double Or Nothing would be happening in the span of a few minutes. Like Kenny, Jennifer was also an executive vice president of AEW. She was going to be doing more backstage duties since she was apprehensive about stepping back inside the ring after sustaining a hip injury and fractured vertebrae just a few years prior. She thanked her lucky stars she could continue to walk. She ached to be competing inside the ring, but she knew it was for the best if she didn't. She would however; be accompanying The Young Bucks to ringside for their AAA tag title match against The Lucha Bros after Nick and Matt Jackson persuaded her.
"Hey," Jennifer greeted her male counterpart with a smile as she entered his locker room. "You ready? We're on in a few." The blonde thought Kenny looked nice in his white v-neck and gray skinny jeans. Throughout the whole process of getting this new company off the ground, she found herself becoming enamored with the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion the more time she spent around him. She found out they had a quite a bit in common from both being born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to their love of professional wrestling to their personalities.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Kenny replied, a smile appearing on his face. "You look nice." He motioned to the outfit she was wearing, which consisted of: a black lace tanktop underneath a white blazer that was left open, and a black, white, and gray floral printed skirt that the tanktop was tucked into. She had black criss-crossed heels on her feet with a bow tie. Her makeup was done in which toffee eyeshadow accented her eyes and toffee lipstick accented her lips. She was certainly dressed for success. "Are you ready, Jen?" Kenny wondered.
"I'm ready, but I'm so nervous."
"If it's any consolation, you don't have to say anything when we open the show. Cody and Brandi will be doing all the talking."
Jennifer felt herself cringe at hearing Cody's and Brandi's names. She respected their abilities, but she felt like they had a little bit of an egotistical problem. Cody seemed too worried about WWE, while everyone else just wanted this new company to thrive. Jennifer didn't think Brandi was as egotistical as her husband, but she still had her moments.
She saw past that because they all had the same goal: they all wanted to have this company succeed.
"That's true. I just have to stand there and look pretty."
The Winnipeg Native chuckled. "I think you'll have no problem there."
The Winnipeg turned Las Vegas native felt a blush sustain her cheeks. "Thanks."
"No problem. Well, you ready to head out there in front of your fellow people?"
"I suppose so," The Las Vegas native answered. She shook off her nerves before following Kenny out of his locker room and heading out onto the stage.
Kenny, Jennifer, Matt and Nick Jackson, and Cody and Brandi Rhodes were standing on the Double Or Nothing stage in Las Vegas. All of them were ecstatic about this groundbreaking moment that would forever be etched in wrestling history. Jennifer was standing to the far right of the stage standing alongside Nick Jackson who was standing beside Kenny who stood in-between Nick and Nick's older brother: Matt Jackson. Brandi Rhodes was standing to the left of Matt while her husband Cody, was to the far left of the stage.
The audience chanted: "Jen-ni-fer, Jen-ni-fer, Jen-ni-fer." Jennifer, not entirely sure how to respond to audience, just smiled and waved to them. Nick gave her a small side hug as a congratulations of sorts.
"Before this gets way out of hand," Brandi Rhodes spoke. "Let me say something that is actually factual tonight and that is that this is the first sensory inclusive event in wrestling history." The five executive presidents standing onstage clapped at Brandi's statement. Nick placed his arms around the shoulders of Jennifer and Kenny while Kenny placed his arms around the shoulders of Nick and Matt. Jennifer had her arm placed wrapped around Nick's waist in the most platonic way possible.
Cody retrieved the microphone from his wife. "This is it guys; we're about to make history, each and every one of you. We use the word revolution because this is a revolution!" Cody stopped his speech so he could soak in the adulation of the crowd. "ARE YOU READY?" The American Nightmare wondered.
The audience gave a standing ovation as their answer and the six people standing on stage headed to the back. "Holy shit! I have goosebumps!" Jennifer exclaimed whenever she got backstage. She rubbed her arms, providing some herself some comfort. "This is getting more surreal by the moment."
"I have been waiting for this day forever," Matt said. "It's hard to believe that this is really happening."
"I know what you mean, Bro," Nick agreed. It was surreal to him too.
"If we put all our dedication into this, then are we going to succeed," Kenny pointed out. "We have something special tonight and we can't let that slip between our fingers."
Jennifer nodded her head in agreement. "You make a good point."
"We are going to be the best wrestling company to ever exist!" Cody decided. Brandi nodded her head in agreement to what her husband declared.
"Cody, I wouldn't get too carried away now," Jennifer said. "Like Kenny said, we do have something special tonight. We need to focus on just this and not worry about anything else. If we just focus on making use of the amazing talent we have and providing fans with incredible matches and moments, then we will be successful."
"It seems like you don't have as much faith as I do," Cody argued.
Jennifer scoffed. "Of course I have faith. I just believe you are letting your ego get the better of the situation."
"Alright, Jennifer, Cody," Kenny intervened. "Let's look at the bigger picture. We have a pay-per-view that's going to change the landscape of wrestling and instead of you two arguing, you two should be celebrating this special night."
Jennifer sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too," The Atlanta native apologized.
"There we go! We can't have any family tension," Matt said.
"Let's bring it in," Nick said, motioning for the executives to come together. He, Matt, Cody, Brandi, Kenny, and Jennifer all put their hands on top of each others'. "On the count of five." The group counted down from five together before all of them raised their hands at the same time. They all chanted: "Elite" as their hands went in the air.
"Alright, everyone," Brandi spoke up. "Let's make this show memorable."
Everyone smiled and nodded as they all went their own way. Jennifer headed towards her locker room to change into her outfit she would be wearing when accompanying The Young Bucks to the ring for their match against The Lucha Bros.
Jennifer waited with the Young Bucks who were wearing all white tonight. She assumed they were doing an Elvis Presley cosplay, which she thought was awesome. She was changed into a white one shoulder backless jumpsuit and white platform heeled sandals.
"I am glad you two persuaded me to accompany you to ringside because it is going to be an honor to watch you two and Rey and Penta tear the house down."
"Isn't that just sweet?" Nick placed a hand on his heart.
"It's nice of you to think that we're capable of tearing the house down, Jen." Matt put a hand on his heart too.
Jennifer laughed. "Don't let your egos inflate."
Nick looked at Jennifer flabbergasted. "I would never let my ego get out of hand."
"Yeah, Jennifer, Nick and I are some of the greatest human beings in the world," Matt declared.
"See? That was a conceded statement right there," Jennifer pointed out.
"You don't think Nick and I are the greatest human beings in the world?" Matt feigned a look of hurt.
The Las Vegas native nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands.
"And here I thought you were my best friend, Jennifer," Nick said, acting like he was offended. "As my best friend, you're supposed to think I am the greatest human in the world."
Jennifer repeated her actions from a few moments ago. "Are you two drama queens ready to go out there?"
Matt scoffed. "I am definitely a drama king."
"I'm sorry, Matt," Jennifer giggled. "I'll remember that for future reference."
"Let's go out there and tear the house down," Nick said. The Young Bucks entrance theme blared throughout the MGM Grand and The Young Bucks being accompanied by Jennifer received a more than warm response from the crowd.
Jennifer and The Young Bucks, who retained the AAA tag titles against The Lucha Bros walked through the tunnel to backstage. Fellow Elite member, Kenny Omega, greeted the three with a smile and hug. His hug seemed to have lasted longer with Jennifer, but Jennifer wasn't complaining. Jennifer saw they he changed into his newly designed wrestling tights made especially for this pay-per-view. He rocked the black and pink combination.
Matt and Nick headed further backstage, probably to celebrate with their wives. That just left Kenny and Jennifer alone in the production area. Chris Jericho would be joining Kenny momentarily for the highly anticipated Alpha vs Omega rematch.
"You ready for your match?" Jennifer wondered.
"Definitely," Kenny answered immediately. He was ready to get back inside the ring; having not competed since his last New Japan match that happened back in January.
"I know you're eager to get back in the ring."
"Eager is an understatement."
Jennifer laughed. She knew the feeling all too well. She was eager to back inside the ring too, but unfortunately, she thought it was better for her if she didn't compete in the ring again. She would have to settle being an executive vice president of AEW. She was not wanting to be competition for WWE, whom was her employer from 2011-2015. She left on the best of terms. With her position in this new company, she just wanted to provide an alternative to those who wanted to see more wrestling or wanted something different.
"I know you'll go out there and do what you do best: have the best bout."
"They don't call me the best bout machine for nothing, Jen."
"Very true."
"So," Kenny nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering after the show is over, do you want to hang out?"
Jennifer smiled at the offer. "I would enjoy that."
"Cool."
Chris Jericho approached the duo. "Kenny, Jennifer," the wrestling legend greeted.
"Hey, Chris," Jennifer replied, a friendly smile on her face. "Good luck out there. I know you're going to kill it."
"Of course, I am," Jericho affirmed. "I am the best in the world at what I do."
Jennifer laughed. "I think the best bout machine would like to argue with you," she teased. She looked back at Kenny and smirked.
"I am going to prove that the Alpha male is better than the Omega."
Jennifer raised her hands defensively. "I guess that'll get settled in the ring." She patted Jericho's back and squeezed Kenny's shoulder before heading to her locker room to change into her street clothes and watch the main event closely. The Alpha vs Omega rematch was her most anticipated match on the card, although it would be hard to follow the epic tag match that just took place.
As she walked to her locker room, she saw a very familiar figure walking towards the area where the fans have to take their seat. She was aware that he lived in Vegas, so maybe he was just watching the show. Yeah, that had to be it. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she headed towards her locker room.
Finally dressed in her street clothes, she was informed last minute she supposed to go out there and check on Kenny after a post-match beatdown. She was now dressed in a gray shirt with a white adidas patch on it, blue ripped skinny jeans, and gray adidas sneakers. She waited for her cue to go out there and check on The Winnipeg Native.
The familiar figure she saw earlier was walking down the aisle where the audience was at and the crowd went insane at his arrival. Jennifer put her hands over her mouth. She was shocked.
The former Dean Ambrose who was now being referred to as Jon Moxley again made his presence known attacking both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. If he was signed to AEW, why wasn't she aware of the signing? She would sure get some information when this segment was over.
Jon seemed to be targeting Kenny, who was placed on top of the poker chips statue. Jon delivered a Dirty Deeds to Kenny on top of the statue and then an inverted death valley driver from on top of the statue to the hard floor. After that was when it was Jennifer's cue to go out there and check on Kenny. She went out there and the crowd cheered as she came out again. She went to Kenny and kneeled at his side, making sure he was alright. He did suffer a legitimate broken nose during his encounter with Chris Jericho.
The audience popped as Moxley stared intensely at Jennifer from where he was standing on the poker chip statue. She glared up at him, but Jon merely smirked sadistically at her as he walked away from the wreckage he caused.
The Jennifer onscreen was differing from the Jennifer offscreen. While onscreen Jennifer was sort of intimidated by Jon Moxley's appearance, the real Jennifer felt her heart rapidly racing. She hadn't seen the man since 2015 and now her first encounter with him in four years was an onscreen interaction she wasn't even really aware of.
She and some medical personnel helped the former IWGP champion to the back, where he was going to get questioned for the set of events that just happened.
Jennifer got a towel and took a seat beside Kenny as she wiped some of the excess blood from Kenny's nose. "So, you want to tell me what the hell that was out there? How come I wasn't made aware of Mox being a part of Double Or Nothing?"
"We didn't think it was the best idea for you to know because we know your head wouldn't be clear to focus on the show."
"We? Who the hell is we?" The blonde inquired.
"Matt, Nick, and I," the two toned haired man responded, letting out a grunt too. He would definitely be sore in the morning.
"How nice of you to have my best interest at heart," Jennifer deadpanned.
"I don't know what exactly happened with you and Moxley, but from what Nick and Matt have said, the history between the two of you isn't good."
Jennifer didn't want to recollect her memories with the Lunatic. The memories would bring nothing but heartache and that was a feeling she had finally gotten over after being hurt for so long. "Pretty much."
"Is that something we should talk about tonight when we hang out?" At this rate, it was bold of him to assume that him and Jennifer would be hanging out after keeping viable information from her.
"I don't want to take a trip back down memory lane," Jennifer decided. "I'm more concerned with getting you checked out and making sure you're okay."
"I'm fine," Kenny assured, attempting to get up. He was successful at getting out of his seat, but he grunted with every motion.
Jennifer put her arm around Kenny's waist. "Let me help you out." She escorted him to the trainer's room.
Jennifer gathered her belongings and headed towards the direction of Kenny's locker room. She would be leaving the arena with him. It was confirmed that the Winnipeg native had a broken nose, but it would be healed in no time. Jennifer was grateful it was nothing too serious.
Strolling down the hallway, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a familiar baritone voice. "Hey."
She slowly turned around and came face to face with the last person in the world she wanted to see. Her breath caught in her throat at seeing him before her. Besides their forced interaction onscreen moments ago, the last time she saw him in person was in 2015, in which that was her last match with WWE. She wrestled her last match in the WWE against Nikki Bella at the Battleground pay-per-view that year. She decided to leave WWE after many many months of being constantly overlooked. She'd spent the last two years of being in the WWE having to deal with seeing him and the new woman in his life.
Even though she lived in Vegas and she heard through the grapevine that he lived in Vegas with his significant other, she had never encountered him at all.
Jennifer continued on her way to her destination when he called out to her. "Jen!"
She felt tears in her eyes at hearing him call her name. She hadn't heard him say her nickname since they dated. It was always him calling her Jennifer after that; during any brief interaction they had. She tried her best to keep the interaction as minimal as possible, but due to mutual acquaintances, they had to interact.
Right now, she just wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
Ever the right time, Kenny Omega appeared and Jennifer could freaking kiss him. He was definitely her savior. "You ready to go?" He asked Jennifer. She was silent and that worried him, but he got his answer when he saw Jon Moxley standing there. "Hey, Jon, great job kicking my ass out there. I'm looking forward to our future feud."
"Yeah, man. It'll be great when we finally go against each other in the ring," Jon said. Even though he was talking to Kenny, his intense blue eyes were still locked on Jennifer.
Kenny could feel the tension between Jon and Jennifer, so he put his hand on the back of Jennifer and lead her out of the arena. He didn't know what happened with Jon and Jennifer exactly, but from what he heard from Nick and Matt, something happened that made Jon and Jennifer's relationship deteriorate. He knew it wasn't any of his business, but he found himself more curious than ever at the history with Jon Moxley and Jennifer Best.
Jon watched intently as Kenny walked with Jennifer out of the MGM Grand arena. He needed to speak with her and he was going to try his damnedest to get her attention.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please don't be afraid to favorite, follow, or review.