Author's Note:
Hey guys! I wanted to wait until the Rumble was over, and also RAW as well before posting, just in case I needed to make some last minute tweaks. And if you can't tell by now, this story is now officially an AU. Punk fans, don't fret. Hold your heads up high! Punk had the longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era of 434 days, and it took a legend in The Rock in the main event of a Big PPV to take the title off him. And even though the finish was a bit wacky (Fuck you Vince McMahon), I'm still proud of what Punk accomplished. I still consider him as the "Best in the World." Do you? :)
Also, as a fan of The Rock, and as someone who has watched him since I was 5 years old, I am very happy for him that in this day and age, to once again become WWE Champion. The only reason I have trepidation is the looming Cena factor, and we all know what that means. Ugh.
Lastly, I thought RAW was pretty good. The Vegas-Themed segments were putrid garbage, but the angles involving actual storylines and big time players really delivered. And one of them featured someone who will be a part of the plot later on in the story... but that's all for now. ;)
Anyway, before I ramble on any longer, enjoy Chapter 1!
Love, Honor & Glory
Part II
Chapter 1 - A Chance Encounter
Monday Night RAW - January 28, 2013
The night after Royal Rumble
Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, Nevada
Parking Lot
The mood is silent in the limo ride to the arena, just like it was last night in the locker room. Just like the arena when I proved them all wrong, when I shocked the world, and I shut up Dwayne's big fat mouth once and for all.
Finally... there would be no more doubt.
Finally... there would be no more naysayers.
And even though that I'm starting to sound like Dwayne now, as ironic as that sounds, FINALLY, I had shown everyone, shown the entire WWE Universe, for that matter, that I am what I say am, and what I am... is the BEST... in the WORLD...
A long-stretched black limousine pulled into the entrance way of the parking lot of the Thomas and Mack Center, and out stepped CM Punk, who was still the WWE Champion, with his mammoth record-breaking reign now at 435 days.
As Punk surveyed the parking lot, a plethora of memories came flooding back to him.
This is where I made my rise.
Indeed it was, as this was the very same arena where on the night of June 27, 2011, Punk sat down on a stage, let out his frustrations, and dropped a pipebomb that the world did not see coming. And as a result of said pipebomb, Punk eventually made his ascension up the ranks, become the must-see wrestler that fans paid to see, and the dominant WWE Champion that he is today. Along the way, he made enemies, and he made allies, and even caught the attention of one certain diva from Union City, New Jersey...
But alas, that was in the past now, and it was time towards the present, and also, to the future.
At this point, Punk was starting to become convinced that he truly was the greatest superstar ever and that nobody would ever stop his long and magnificent, glorious reign. His ego had swelled with such great immensity, he had even began to think that since he beat The Rock, maybe he would have an chance if he could against some of the other all-time greats, such as Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and yes, even Stone Cold Steve Austin.
This was going to be a great night indeed. After such a monumental victory, he knew this night called for a just as monumental celebration. As if reading his mind and speaking it out loud, Punk's mentor and manager, Paul Heyman, stepped out of the limo as well and began laying it on thick.
"Champ, that was amazing the way you actually dominated The Rock last night! This calls for a celebration! The biggest one ever! And one that I will personally make sure, that no one interrupts. Do you get what I'm saying, champ?" Heyman asked, voice full of enthusiasm. Punk had honestly never seen his mentor this excited before, and it kind of scared him a little, but in a good way.
"Paul, I say whatever you wanna plan, go ahead and do it. Just run it by me first, and we can go from there. We can even include balloons this time." His slight grin twitched as Paul laughed at his smart comment.
"Always the blunt one, right, Punk? Alright, that's perfectly fine."
Heyman reached into his back pocket and pulled out a seemingly long checklist. "Alright, now we gotta run down the list of things to get and set up for your celebration. So let's see wha-" Punk immediately put his hand up, signalling a stop.
"Paul, not that the outcome was ever in any doubt when I faced Dwayne, but were you already planning all of this ahead of time, without me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Heyman stuttered just a bit. "Well, I-I-I mean, when you put it that way, Punk, it does sounds bad, I admit. But I just wanted to help you celebrate your biggest victory yet! I mean, come on, anyone with a brain knew you were going to beat that megalomaniac and send his movie-star ass back to Hollywood!"
Punk sighed, realizing that this argument would be futile. "Look, just go plan it, and if you need me, I'll be in my dressing room, okay?"
He tossed his championship belt over his shoulder and proceeded to walk away from Heyman, and head down towards the corridor.
But before he could slip his earbuds in and immerse himself deep into his music before tonight's show began, he passed by a room which had a lot of shouting going on inside. The screams were not exactly recognizable, but there was easily one voice that he could make out inside.
It was AJ's voice. And boy, her voice didn't sound very pretty at all.
Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Punk leaned to the side of wall and pressed his ear to it, trying to get some clear audio as to what was exactly being said.
Inside the Room
Dolph Ziggler wasn't just mad right now.
He was steaming mad. He was beyond steaming mad, in fact. The Show Off was pissed off.
He was really sick. And he was so damn sick of being really sick. He paced back and forth repeatedly while his girlfriend AJ and her friend/associate, Big E Langston, looked on at him with a silent stare.
Finally, he stopped in his place, and his eyes darted directly to AJ.
"AJ... would you mind please telling me... just what the HELL happened out there last night?!"
AJ gulped in sight fear, scared of what words exactly would come out of his mouth next.
"You cost me not one, but TWO opportunities to become World Heavyweight Champion last night! Two! And now, thanks to your actions, I don't have anymore mulligans. Not only am I not headlining WrestleMania, but now, my briefcase opportunity is now GONE! Basically, I'M SCREWED!"
AJ tried to speak out. "But I was only trying to help you, Dolph! You were making the right decision to cash in on Del Rio! It was the right idea!"
Dolph looked at her like she was speaking in tongues. "Right idea? Right IDEA?! Del Rio barely beat Big Show by the slimiest of margins, and you decide to tell me to cash in, so I do. Then all of a sudden, with the ref's back turned, Big Show, being the big crybaby sore loser that he is, ends up knocking me out, and then I get pinned by Del Rio, 1-2-3, and I'm out of it! Just how the hell is that a good idea?!"
AJ shrunk just a bit as she watched Dolph lash out at her with venomous words. "And as if that wasn't good enough, I had a chance to enter the Rumble and redeem myself, and show the world what I was made of by winning it from the #1 spot. I had it under control... so why in God's name did you decide to get me eliminated?" he shouted with intense fury.
AJ gasped at her boyfriend's accusation. "Ziggy, It's wasn't my fault Cena eliminated you! I was just trying to pull down the top rope so he could fall over!" she exclaimed, trying to reason with Dolph.
The chiseled blonde simply scoffed at her remark. "Yeah right, more like so I could fall over, right? Give me a break, AJ. It's obvious to me now why relationships never work out for you. You're a burden, you're... I don't know, a jinx, a hex! You ruin everything for everybody! You're less dependable than Big E's mic skills!"
The young behemoth NXT Champion shot a glare at Dolph for that comment, but it went unnoticed by the now former Mr. Money in The Bank, who sighed as he shook his head.
"Simply put, AJ, this isn't gonna work out. I had it right the first time. You're a cheap chick who's always going to be worth a dime a dozen, and you always, and forever will be, complete... and utter... trash."
AJ, by now, had tears that were fresh up in her eyes and they began to roll out.
Big E started to walk over, to try and comfort his friend, but Dolph wasn't about to have any of that either. "Don't touch her, E. What she she needs to do now is get out of my sight! And I mean now!"
Dolph pointed towards the door, to which AJ immediately ran to, and closed shut very swiftly.
After quickly running out, AJ immediately ran outside and propped her back against the wall, sitting down and began crying her eyes out.
She had once again fell victim to yet another failed relationship, and this one had hurt worst of all. Dolph's verbal tirades on her were worst than Daniel Bryan's were, and that only caused the pain her heart was feeling to double over even more. Thanks to Dolph, she had lost what could have still been a good friendship with John Cena, even if he didn't return the mutual feelings she had for him, and she had also pushed away her best friend Kaitlyn. At this point, she felt that she had basically lost everything.
Bad memories began to plague young AJ's mind. Flashbacks to her childhood of not having the proper benefits, to working multiple jobs as a young teenager, to even being homeless, and sleeping out of a car just to get by. She thought she had risen above that with her progression through WSU, FCW, and NXT, before finally landing in WWE. It wasn't easy at first, but she found a niche for herself. But now, as a result of her erratic actions over the past few months, it not only cost her the General Manager position of RAW, but she had alienated just about everyone who had her back. From Kaitlyn, to some of the other divas in the back, she turned everyone off... especially one certain tattooed-covered punk from the streets of Chicago.
And now, with this latest adventure in romance now all but over, AJ's recurring nightmarish thought had popped up once more: Is it all over now?
"Are you really going to cry over that bleach blonde pig-head?"
A voice called out to her, and AJ's ears immediately perked up, and the tears immediately stopped. She recognized that voice anywhere. When her eyes raised up, and they made contact with his, she gasped, as her suspicions were confirmed.
"Punk...?"
Author's Note:
And thus, our tale begins. I think that's where we'll end Chapter 1, don't ya think? I never want to give away too much. I always want to keep my viewers hungry and thirsty for more.
So, did I do the trick? Did you enjoy the appetizer, and are you now ready for the main course?
Review, fav, follow, and I'll be sure to have another chapter on the up-and-up very soon.
Meanwhile, don't forget to checkout Punklee Nation, a community organized by the great Jean-TheGuardian that holds all your favorite AJPunk stories.
Ta ta for now. Catch ya on the flip side!
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