2 Hours before RAW after SummerSlam

Finally, after being on the shelf for almost an entire year, Dean Ambrose was backstage at Monday Night RAW. It was a long time coming, and staying at home alone all day was starting to drive him more insane than he already was. For months it was wake up, go to rehab, and be back home for when Renee got back from wherever WWE needed her. Not anymore. Dean Ambrose was back and he was ready to take the house down no matter what it took.

Tonight was bound to be something especially important; Hunter had called Dean before his flight and asked him to meet him for a meeting before RAW began. Whatever the reason, Dean didn't really care. He was back doing the job he loved and they could have him dress up in a bear costume and fight in a shark cage match if they wanted, as long as he was wrestling in some aspect.

Walking into the arena was like coming back home after a long month on the road. Dean approached the Barclay's Center with a noticeable pop in his step. Renee Young, Dean's wife, watched him with childlike wonder. He had been in a state of depression ever since he came down with a rotator cuff injury and had to stay at home while she got to continue traveling with the WWE. But the second he got the go ahead from his personal doctor and a WWE doctor, he took the first chance he got to finally make his comeback.

Dean strode a few yards in front of Renee, wanting to waste little time getting into the arena and eventually to his meeting with Hunter.

"Jeez, babe, you're not excited to get back are you?" Renee kidded her husband, giving him a grin and a giggle when he looked back at her.

"More than you could understand, Rey," Dean said, matching Renee's smile with a smirk of his own.

"I bet the guys are gonna be psyched to see you." Renee said, giggling again to see Dean out of his 9 month slump and back to his old energetic ways.

"Fuck, I haven't even told Roman or Seth that I'm coming back tonight." Dean figured it must've been since last December since he last teamed up with either of his best friends. Seth had kept in touch for the most part of his injury, even visiting him at his home in Las Vegas a few times, but he couldn't even remember the last time he talked to Roman in person. A round or two of celebratory beers was definitely in order after the show was wrapped up.

"They'll be excited to see you, babe," Renee said, smiling once again at her beloved husband.

Dean paused just before he got to the back entrance. He turned around, wrapped his arm around Renee's waist, then pulled her body against his and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and quietly moaned into the kiss, cherishing every second she was wrapped in her husband's embrace. These last few weeks, he had been more intimate inside and outside the bedroom. Renee came to the conclusion that he was feeling confident about his return and used his new sense of joy to bring pleasure to her. It was unlike him, but Renee wasn't going to complain.

Renee's lips parted from her husbands, then curled into another bright smile. "I don't know where this new romantic Dean came from, but I like it."

Dean smirked. "Old boy's got his life back. Life is good, darlin', which means I get to spoil you more. Unless, you don't want that."

Renee knew he was only teasing, but she rolled her eyes and playfully punched his shoulder anyway. "Yes, Dean, I want that."

"Good," Dean gave Renee one last quick peck on the lips. "Because, after RAW, I want a little alone time with you to celebrate my return. Some room service, champagne... I think you know what else, baby doll."

Renee's chest filled with butterflies at the mere mention of 'alone time' with her husband. Dean being back in the WWE was without a doubt the best thing that had happened to the young couple in quite some time.

Deciding there was no more time to waste, Dean held the door to the arena open for his wife before slipping in behind her. He gave her a kiss goodbye, and Renee was off to get her makeup done for a pre-RAW interview on Facebook. Dean needed to see Hunter before RAW began, but that was in two hours. There was a few people he wanted to check in with before he headed to the meeting and, in Dean's own opinion, the boss could wait a little while longer.

The Barclay's Center hadn't changed since the last time Dean was there for the previous year's SummerSlam, but the feeling in his stomach was like it was his first time being there. A few backstage crew members and a few road agents greeted him and welcomed him back. He asked one crew member directions to the locker room, then thanked him after being pointed in the right direction.

Rounding the corner, Dean smirked at the familiar sight of two of his closest friends, Bayley and Seth Rollins; Seth was standing nearly chest to chest with the hugger with his right arm wrapped around her waist. Apparently, while Dean was on hiatus, Seth and Bayley began seeing each other. And by the looks of it, things were still going strong for the two Superstars. Dean was already good friends with Bayley before he learned about her relationship with Seth, having even taken a shot at dating her himself before he met Renee, so things wouldn't change that much between them. Maybe I'll have to turn the hose on them from time to time, Dean thought when Seth gave Bayley a soft kiss on the lips.

"Hey," Dean called in a faux tone of aggressive authority. "No PDA in the locker room area! Break it up, you two!"

"Well, ho-lee shit," Seth announced after Dean's joke brought a smile to his face. "The prodigal son has returned."

Bayley had already covered the small distance from Dean and currently had the lunatic locked in a vice like bear hug.

"I think she's excited to see you." Seth joked.

Dean returned the hug, as well as pecked Bayley's cheek with a brotherly show of affection. "Yeah, apparently, she is."

Bayley finally released her near suffocating grip on Dean. "It's so awesome you're finally back! How's everything feel? Renee said it was a pretty bad tear."

Dean rolled his previously injured shoulder a few times to show it no longer gave him any pain. "Naw, it's fine now. Couple months rest did me good. I just want to get in the ring already."

"Did Hunter tell you what's going on yet with your return?" Seth asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, but I'm supposed to meet with him before RAW starts. I figure it's got something to do with making sure I'm still able to compete or some shit like that."

"Really?" Seth chuckled. "That's funny, I'm supposed to meet with him too. I was just gonna grab a coffee with Bayley before heading over there. You can join us if you want."

"I was going to whether you wanted my company or not." Dean said, making both Bayley and Seth chuckle.

The trio made their way to catering. A few other Superstars were already there and, upon seeing Dean emerge, welcomed him back with hugs or slaps on the back. Seth poured himself and Bayley a cup of coffee then, after Dean complained that he was Seth's friend before Bayley showed up, rolled his eyes and poured a third for Dean as well.

Sitting across from the couple, Dean shook his head at the overly affectionate way Seth and Bayley acted towards each other. It wasn't bothering him, it was just and off sight to see. Especially with such a mismatched couple like these two. He often heard the same thing said about him and Renee. Two people, almost the complete opposite of the other, seemed to get along with little to no arguments or non-friendly altercations between them.

"That is still so fuckin' weird to see." Dean commented aloud after Seth kissed Bayley on her forehead. "A few months ago, you were still beaten up over that Nazi chick. Now you're all tocuhy-feely with Bayley."

"Yeah, well, when I found out she was dating Sonya, I got over her pretty quick." Seth chuckled.

Dean shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "So, like, how'd this start? Did she lose a bet and has to date you now?"

Seth looked at Bayley. "You wanna tell him?"

Bayley, ignoring the pained groan from Dean, nodded her head. "It was the WrestleMania after party. A few of us were at a table, just drinking and talking and having a good time. Then Seth, who was pretty quiet up until then, offered to buy me a drink. Just me. So I said yeah and we hit it off after that."

Dean smirked and nodded his head. "Right, and by that you mean you spent the night in Seth's room?"

Bayley giggled, dropping her head sheepishly. "I don't usually do that before the first date. But I had a crush on Seth for a little while before then. Then during breakfast the next morning, he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes." She gazed up at Seth, gave him a sweet smile, then kissed him.

Dean tried forcing away the growing smile on his face, but it was more difficult than he anticipated. Instead, he took a sip of coffee and smirked anyway. "Seth Rollins and Bayley Martinez. Who woulda thought? Anyways, good for you guys. Seriously."

Seth smirked and thanked Dean before giving his girl another kiss.

After their coffee was gone, and Seth dropped Bayley off at the women's locker room with another painfully long kiss, Seth and Dean started their journey to Hunter's office.

"What do you think he's gonna have us do?" Seth asked.

Dean shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't know for sure what Hunter had planned, but it must involve the two of them since he requested to see both of them. "Ambrose and Rollins make a comeback and win the titles again? Unless you still have shit with Ziggler going on."

Seth shook his head. "I think my thing with Dolph is done now. He's beaten me twice on pay-per-view. It's getting a little old at this point."

"Yeah, well, you know how they like to do a feud to death until the fans hate both guys. Speaking of which, where's Roman?"

Seth shook his head. "Haven't seen him since the pre-show yesterday. He said he was going over Brock and Owens, but he hasn't returned any of my calls since last night."

Dean shook his head. Had he been Kevin Owens, he would've fought like hell to get the decision for him to lose his Money in the Bank briefcase changed. "I can't believe they had Owens beat Braun only to lose to Roman later on. I don't get what the point was to give Braun the briefcase in the first place."

"I hear ya. Braun didn't need it. Anyone else in that match could've used it." Seth said.

Ending their conversation, Seth knocked on their boss's office door. They waited a few seconds, then it popped open to reveal Hunter himself on the other side.

"Ah, Dean, Seth, you're both here. Good." Hunter opened the door further to let the two inside.

Dean and Seth made their way to Hunter's desk. Surprisingly, someone was already there in one of the arm chairs in front of his desk.

"You both know Ruby, correct?" Hunter asked after sitting in his chair.

Ruby Riott stood and shook both men's hands. "Good to see you, Seth. Welcome back, Dean." She said.

Dean and Seth both took a seat in front of Hunter's desk as well.

"So, as I was telling Ruby just before you two got here," Hunter began explaining. "Vince and I have discussed a few ideas about possibly debuting a new stable on Monday Night RAW. If Dean and Seth would be on board, we would start planting the seeds for the groups creation tonight. Now, nothing is set in stone right now, but I would like to hear what you three think about it. Basically, Dean is going to turn heel and join the Riott Squad."

Dean chuckled. "Hold on, what-"

"What do you mean he's joining the Riott Squad?" Ruby cut in before Dean had a chance to speak. "It's a stable. With women. He doesn't exactly, no offense Dean, fit the criteria it takes to be a part of Riott Squad."

"Apparently she's never heard of the Shield." Dean muttered to Seth.

Hunter nodded his head. "I hear your concern. Right now, it sounds like a bit of a stretch to have a male member of Riott Squad; It's one of the issues we have with Titus Worldwide and Dana Brooke's part in it. Which is why, if this plan works the way we want, he would be the new leader after you step down."

Ruby nearly jumped from her chair as she sat upright. "Oh, there's no way in he-"

"Hunter," Dean interrupted this time, cutting Ruby off. He gave Ruby a side glance. "If I may, sweetheart?" Ruby rolled her eyes and shook her head. Dean continued. "Why would I want lead a group of chicks around? That doesn't make much sense to the whole, ya know, Dean Ambrose character."

"Well, we want you to mold the Riott Squad to be more like you," Hunter said, ignoring the scoff from Ruby. "You'll basically be taking them under your wing to lead them to better opportunities. Since you're a former WWE champion, it would make sense for Ruby wanting you to be a part of the group to help lead them."

"Then what's the end game?" Ruby jumped in, once again cutting Dean off. "More thirty second losses to Ember Moon, meaningless six man tags, and fluke roll-up wins?"

Hunter shook his head. "Not at all. We hope to have Dean as Universal Champion by the Royal Rumble, and you winning the Women's Rumble and winning the RAW Women's championship at 'Mania."

Dean's attitude did a complete one-eighty at the mention of him winning the top tier belt on RAW. Hunter must've seen his expression change, because he gave him a smirk and a wink before gesturing at them to say their side.

"So why am I here?" Seth asked.

"Dean will be turning heel by attacking you after your match with Constable Corbin tonight. Kurt's going to make a match, winner gets Ziggler at Hell in a Cell, you win, then Dean rushes you from the crowd. Then, after it's clear Dean's turned, Kurt will set up a triple threat at Hell in a Cell, that Dean will win."

"How does that get me a shot at the Universal Title?" Dean asked.

"Seth will cost you in your rematch against Ziggler at SuperShowdown, then you two will have a TLC match in December at TLC, with the winner facing Roman at the Rumble."

Dean chuckled. The monster push he was getting would surely piss a few people off, which seemed like the end game the 'higher ups' were going for in the first place. But leader as an all girl group? The just seemed a bit odd to him. He spoke. "What does-"

"I like it." Ruby cut in for the third time. "The idea works if you look at it a certain way. But what about Liv and Sarah? They deserve something too."

Hunter nodded his head. "I'm glad you asked. At Evolution, there will be a tournament final to crown the first ever WWE Women's Tag Team championship. The first round starts next week. The final will be a team from RAW and a team from SmackDown LIVE. Shane is still getting his part down, but Riott Squad will be in the final for RAW's part."

Ruby nodded her head. "I love it."

Hunter turned to Seth. "Seth?"

"I guess this means Shield's dead again?" He asked.

Hunter chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes."

Seth shrugged his shoulders. "Cool. I'm all for it."

"Dean?" Hunter asked.

Dean looked at Seth, then at Ruby. The whole idea was a long shot, especially if the crowd hated it. Would it make for great tv and bring attention to him and a struggling group? Yeah, but Dean didn't give a fuck about some jobber stable. Still, to be on the top of RAW after being gone for so long was such a great visual.

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Fuck it. Let's make it happen."

"And we're good."

Dean sighed. RAW was done. His return had been seen by millions of people, which meant everyone now knew he was officially breaking away from the Shield and Seth and anything else associated with his previous run with Monday Night RAW. It didn't piss him off that he was a heel, he preferred that actually, he was angry that he wasn't a team with his best friends anymore. Dean shook his head. There's no use complaining now. The whole damn world just saw him turn his back on Seth. This Riott Squad shit better fuckin' work, Dean thought with another head shake.

"Hey, Ambrose," Dean turned around to find the leader of his apparently new faction, Ruby Riott. She sighed, then continued. "Good work tonight. Really. The crowd was going bat shit insane about your return. I've never heard so many people boo someone like that before."

Dean felt uncomfortable when people complimented his in-ring work. Especially when it was people he didn't really know. "Thanks, kid. Ya did good too, I guess. I didn't think they'd have you beat Ember clean."

Ruby scoffed. "It's about fuckin' time they have me win clean. I love wrestling and I love this place, but I fuckin' hate the way they treat us sometimes. You know this is the first time I've won clean? Ever?"

Dean shook his head. "No, I didn't know that."

Ruby shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, Hunter says he wants us to start traveling together. That way, if the fans see us, they can start posting shit on Twitter or whatever about us being together."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? I travel with the guys. That's bullshit."

"You don't need to tell me. I'm pretty pissed about it too. He also mentioned that he would want us to stay in the same hotel room, which almost ended in me being carried out by the goddamn county sheriff." Ruby said.

"What. The. Fuck. I have plans with Renee tonight, in my own hotel room. This is fuckin' ridiculous." Dean turned and kicked a nearby trash can.

"Whatever. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning at whatever hotel you're at. Then we have a house show in Chicago, so don't keep me waiting." Ruby warned.

Dean shook his head again. "Uh huh, we'll see, princess."

Ruby shook her head and turned to walk away.

Dean heard her hurl an insult his way under her breath, but he didn't really care. Hopefully, Renee was still in the mood for booze and sex, because he now needed it more than ever.

A/N: Next chapter will be the first road trip with the new Riott Squad and the first episode of RAW with Dean as a heel and the first match for the Women's Tag Team tournament. Leave a review with a paring of Superstars you'd like to see fight in the tournament for either RAW or SmackDown LIVE.

How will people react to Dean as a heel? Can Ruby and Dean cooperate and make the union work? Leave a review down below!