A/N: Sorry for the late update. Thanks for everyone who has stuck with this story. I also appreciate all the reviews, new followers and new favorites. You guys rock. Without further ado, here is the brand new chapter.
Disclamer: I just own the plot and the OC Natalie Michaels. I don't anything associated with the WWE.
ENTITLED TO OVERCOME
Chapter Seven: You're Insecure Don't Know What For
Natalie was at the gym, focusing on her strength training for the day. She'd told Carmella the night before that she was working on getting toner because she didn't feel like she looked as good as the rest of the women's division. Most of the women had abs and toned arms and she while she had a toned stomach and her arms looked decent, she didn't have as many muscles to show for as the rest of the women; at least that's what she felt like.
Carmella assured her over and over she had nothing to be insecure about, but Natalie still felt like that she didn't have the "look." Her goal was to work out and train hard so until she achieved the look she wanted. She was currently doing deadlifts with one hundred pounds; not as heavy as some of the other women could lift, but that was the most she's ever deadlifted since she came back from her knee injury and she was proud of herself. She would to have to message Carmella and tell her she made it to one hundred pounds.
In the mirror behind her, she saw Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch doing deadlifts too. Becky at one time could deadlift one hundred and eighty pounds, but Becky's only gotten toner since Natalie was out with her injury. Charlotte could deadlift over two hundred pounds and that made Natalie envious. They both got recognition for how toned and good they looked, but when it came to that topic, Natalie felt like she got overlooked.
Getting the negative thoughts out of her head, Natalie took a deep breath and went back to her deadlifts, starting on her third round. She had three more to go before she moved onto something else. She was doing six sets of deadlifts with ten reps each round.
After finishing her third set, she felt the sweat dripping all down her face and back and she decided to discard her turquoise tanktop she was wearing, revealing a black sports bra with Nike written across the bra. She laid the shirt down across one of the nearby barbells that weren't being used and took a sip of water before getting ready for the fourth set.
Even though she was tired by this point, she thought about how much progress she's made and how her looks were going to improve and that got her motivated.
AJ and Natalie were eating lunch at Buck Bradley's saloon and eatery which was down the street from the Bradley Center, where Smackdown would be taking place. Much to her surprise, she saw a text from him when she got to her motel room from the gym asking if she wanted to get lunch with him before the show and she could just ride with him to the arena. Her and Carmella were currently sharing a room, so she asked for Carmella's approval because she didn't want to leave her best friend behind. Carmella insisted that Natalie go eat lunch with AJ or she would, 'throat punch her.' Carmella said that she would ask Nattie to ride with her since Nattie was riding with Becky and Charlotte to the arena.
Carmella texted her a few minutes ago saying that Nattie agreed to ride with her so Carmella wouldn't be riding alone. Natalie was glad that everything worked out in her favor. So, now she found herself sitting in the eatery with the Phenomenal one and she wasn't complaining at all. He ordered the classic B.L.T to eat and she ordered something called 'Charlies Dream' which was a sandwich with their homemade tuna salad with lettuce and tomato. Both got water to drink with their meal.
"So, guess what?!" There was such an enthusiastic tone in Natalie's voice and AJ found her excitement to be quite adorable. There was an intriguing look that came upon his handsome face.
"What?!" The Phenomenal one asked with mock enthusiasm. Natalie glared at him and that made him chuckle. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. Seriously, what?"
"I was able to bench press one hundred pounds this morning at the gym. That's the most I've been able to bench press since I've came back from my knee injury."
A proud look came upon AJ's face. He knew how hard she's been training as of late. He wasn't sure what had her so motivated, but he was happy for her and her new found motivation. "That's great news, Natalie. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks," Natalie blushed. "I'm trying to get into great shape."
AJ's eyebrows furrowed. "But, you're already in great shape."
Natalie opened her mouth to get ready to speak, but their food arrived. Each got their respective meals and they thanked the waitress before digging into their food. Natalie took a bite of her sandwich and was content with the taste. Their homemade tuna salad was good to her. She was glad she ordered what she did. She looked and saw how AJ was digging into his food and chuckled. He must've been starving or he hadn't ate in awhile because that was how he was eating his food.
"Starving much?" Natalie questioned with a laugh.
AJ reciprocated the laugh. "I feel like it. This B.L.T is pretty dang tasty."
"That's good. This homemade tuna is pretty dang tasty."
"Are you mocking me?" AJ shot Natalie a glare.
Natalie innocently put her hands up. "Maybe so. But if I was, that's only because it's payback from you mocking me earlier."
"I'll remember that." He took a sip of his water. He remembered that Natalie was going to say something before their food got delivered to their table. "Natalie, what were you going to say before our food arrived?"
Natalie took another bite of her sandwich and a sip of her water. "I was going to say that I wanted to get into even better shape. I see women like Nikki Bella, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Naomi and even Carmella and I'm envious at how toned they all are. Charlotte has the most perfect figure. All of those women get acknowledged for their figures and how beautiful they are and I always feel like I'm getting overlooked so I'm doing what I have to do so make sure I get recognition. "
For some reason, Natalie seemed to compare herself to the other women in the women's division and AJ wasn't sure why. She had traits all her own that made her just as beautiful as the rest of the women. She had the warmest blue green eyes and a smile that made her face light up. And while she wasn't as tall as the other women(she was 5'4) she was a good build for her height. He knew how beautiful she was and he wished that she saw it too.
"You know that there are plenty of people out there who think you're beautiful right?"
Natalie scoffed, a disappointed look on her face. She was sure AJ was saying that to spare her feelings. "Yeah, right. Name one."
"Me!" AJ exclaimed. And just like that, Natalie's face went from a disappointed look to shocked look, her mouth slightly hanging open. A huge blush sustained her cheeks.
AJ and Natalie arrived to the arena, their luggage in tow. They both walked to the match card to see what was going to be going on with them on Smackdown for the night. AJ was going to be facing Sunil Singh. AJ was currently back in the WWE championship hunt on Smackdown and onscreen he was feuding with Jinder Mahal and Singh Brothers until he was able to fight for the WWE championship once again. Natalie was involved in a fatal five way match with Carmella, Naomi, Becky, and Charlotte to see who would be the captain of team Smackdown for the women's division. But, first she would be backstage with the latter five along with Tamina and Lana.
"Looks like you'll have more screentime than me tonight," The Phenomenal one joked. "And I'm supposed to be the face that runs the place."
Natalie feigned a look of guilt, but in reality she was excited; this was the first time since her return where she would get to wrestle on Smackdown. "Sorry, not sorry."
"I can tell you're genuinely sorry."
Natalie defensively put her hands up. "I'm just excited about wrestling on Smackdown again is all. And, I'll get to be backstage with all the women. I'm pretty stoked."
"I'm happy for you. I'm sure and all the others will steal the show in your fatal five way. Remember, I'm team Michaels."
Natalie smiled and blushed. "Thanks. And, I'm team Styles. Can't wait until you get your shot at the WWE champion again."
"It may come sooner than you think." AJ knew that he would be fighting for the WWE championship in a few weeks whenever they were going to be in England, but no one really knew about it except for himself and Jinder. Maybe he could let Natalie in on in the secret; she was a trustworthy person.
Natalie's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
AJ leaned his face into Natalie's ear and Natalie felt shivers go down her spine and their closeness. "This is a secret between you and I, but I am supposed to be fighting for the WWE championship soon."
"Really?" Natalie's face lit up with one of her smiles that AJ loved so much. "That's awesome. Who's going to win?"
The Phenomenal one shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure yet. I guess you'll have to wait and find out."
"Fair enough."
"Well, I'll see you later. I need to go ahead and start getting ready for the show."
"See you later."
AJ winked at her before walking away, his luggage in tow behind him. Natalie swooned as she walked him walk away. If it was even possible, she felt her feelings for him deepen even more.
Backstage in the GM's office, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Naomi, Lana, Tamina, Natalie, and Carmella were all waiting for the arrival of Smackdown General Manager, Daniel Bryan. The crowd gave their response to each woman that appeared on the screen. Becky, Charlotte, Naomi, and Natalie were all cheered. Lana and Carmella got a mixed response from the crowd. And Tamina, got little to no reaction. They we're having a meeting about the Survivor Series pay-per-view that was coming up soon.
Daniel Bryan came into view and as usual, he got an ovation from the crowd. He looked at each of the ladies, but gave Carmella a strange look due to the dog leash she was carrying around that was used for her associate, James Ellsworth. Daniel shook his head. "Ladies, I know why you're all here. Survivor Series is just for weeks away. And don't worry all of you will be on the Survivor Series team." All the women applauded with happiness.
"But, there's seven of us," Lana spoke up. How was there going to be a five on five match if there are seven women who make up the Smackdown Live roster?
"Oh right, not you Lana," The General Manager spoke up. All the women had amused looks on their faces at Lana getting buried by their General Manager. "However; since there are six of you that are capable of competing, we are going to have a six way tonight and the woman that gets pinned will be not be on the Smackdown Live women's team. "
Tamina gave Daniel a glare. "You know what, Daniel, you don't even have to worry about that match. Since my associate can't compete, then I'm out too."
"That's just fine, Tamina because I have five other women here that are more than capable of representing team Smackdown," Daniel pointed to Charlotte, Becky, Naomi, Natalie, and Carmella who were going to be the team players for Smackdown live. Honestly, Daniel was surprised Carmella hadn't said anything about trying to get out of the match. "Last year, the RAW women's team came out on top, but that is not going to happen this year."
Charlotte, Becky, Naomi, Natalie, and Carmella all looked to each other and were hollering "no," "that's is not going to happen," and "we got this." Lana and Tamina weren't looking to enthused about the situation.
The General Manager looked around the room at the women again noticing how intensity lingered in the air between the women, mainly Natalie and Carmella who've been rivals for the longest time. "Now, now, I realize that some of you don't like each other, but at Survivor Series, we are going to have a unified front and and a strong leader."
Charlotte Flair stepped up, hoping to be the leader. "Alright, Alright, I'll do it. I'll be captain." She faced in the direction of the General Manager, unaware of all the daggers that were being thrown her way. She turned her attention back to her fellow women's roster who were all protesting the idea.
"Now, will all due respect, Charlotte, you weren't even there whenever Smackdown invaded RAW. So, so..." The Irish Lasskicker stated. If there was going to be a captain appointed, then she would want someone who would fight for team blue at all times.
Carmella threw in a comment, "You two don't get to decide."
As much as Natalie disliked the fact; she agreed with her foe. "As much as it pains me to say, I agree with Carmella. Yo two aren't the General Manager, so you shouldn't have any say in the team captain should be."
"Actually Natalie and Carmella have a point, you two don't get to decide because tonight, Charlotte, Naomi, Becky, Natalie, and Carmella will be a fatal five way match and the winner will be the Survior Series Smackdown women's team captain."
All the ladies that were going to be participating in the fatal five way match were excited about the announcement. Lana and Tamina weren't amused at all. They couldn't care less about who was the team captain.
Carmella, Becky, Naomi, and Charlotte all made their respective entrances. The crowd was waiting on the arrival of Natalie and when an edited version of"I Am The Fire" blared through the speakers, the crowd cheered. Natalie came onto the entrance ramp holding her hands on her hips, smiling into the crowd. She was wearing a sparkly lace up purple crop top, sparkly purple shorts, and sparkly purple kickpads that she had over her boots. Her blonde hair was long and straight, framing her face. "And from San Antonio, Texas, Natalie Michaels." She excitedly walked down the ramp, clapping the hands of the fans along the way. She slid into the ring and went to the far right corner, climbing on the turnbuckle and soaking in the crowd's adulation. She got off the turnbuckle and went to stand next to Charlotte.
The Smackdown women's champion, Natalya, came down the aisle, wanting to check out her fellow competitors in action. She got into the ring and showed off her championship; much to the disdain of the women in the ring. When she wasn't announced like she wanted, she demanded the announcer to announce her. The announcer stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Smackdown women's champion...NATALYA!" Natalya once again showed off her championship and went to sit at the commentary table.
The bell rang and the action was underway. Carmella and Charlotte started brawling while Becky, Naomi, and Natalie had their little triple threat going on. Becky and Naomi's brawl landed on the outside of the ring. Carmella tossed Charlotte to Natalie hit nailed Charlotte in the face with a spinning roundhouse kick, making the Queen roll out of the ring.
Carmella walked around the ring praising her work. "That's what I'm talking about! Yeah! That's what I'm talking about, baby!" She walked towards Natalie and the two had a brief staredown before Carmella extended out her hand, offering a truce. Natalie shook Carmella's hand but scooted Carmella towards her and nailed her with a snap suplex in the middle of the ring. Carmella rolled out of the ring and that left Natalie alone in the ring.
The crowd started chanting, "Nata-lie, Nata-lie, Nata-lie." Natalie stood there and raised her hands up, making the crowd cheer and applaud her. She then got out of the ring, trying to pull Naomi into the ring, but she ended up being nailed in the back of the head by Carmella. Natalie turned around and nailed Carmella with an elbow of her own and the two women started brawling until Natalie tossed Carmella into the barricade.
Charlotte came and kicked Natalie and gave Natalie a few of her signature Flair chops. She got Natalie in position to suplex her on the floor; however, Natalie countered and ended up suplexing Charlotte onto the floor. Seeing Carmella get up, Natalie ran around and nailed Carmella with a clothesline.
Natalie turned around and was met with a diving elbow by Becky Lynch. The crowd starting chanting, "Bec-ky, Bec-ky, Bec-ky" and The Lasskicker taunted the crowd real quick before getting back to business. Becky didn't have long because Naomi hit a diving crossbody onto Becky. Naomi sees Charlotte start to stir around and tries to nail Charlotte with a running hurricanrana, but Charlotte catches her on her shoulders and brings Naomi down a little bit and flings her into the barricade. Out of nowhere, Natalie nails Charlotte with a running dropkick and Charlotte lands over the barricade and into the crowd.
Becky and Natalie start brawling after the former hits the latter with an forearm to the back of the head. Natalie manages to roll Becky into the ring, but Natalie doesn't have any luck getting into the ring after she gets knocked off the apron thanks to Naomi and her rearview mirror. Becky comes from behind and rolls up Naomi, but only gets a two count since Naomi reversed the rollup with one of her own. Carmella comes into the ring and stops the count by grabbing Naomi and tossing Naomi into the turnbuckle post, shoulder first.
Carmella hits a superkick on a groggy Becky but only gets a two count. Whenever Carmella tries another move, Becky locks Carmella into the dis-arm-her and Carmella instantly taps out. The Irish Lasskicker is now the team captain for the Smackdown women's team at Survivor Series.
Natalie and Carmella walked towards the catering area to grab a bottle of water to help them get hydrated after their match. They sat down at one of the nearest tables, cooling down. The two were greeted by another person who decided to join them; The Phenomenal one. He sat on the other side of Natalie. Like Natalie and Carmella he had a bottle of water too. He was dressed in his street clothes for the night which consisted of a gray t-shirt, jeans, boots, and hat on his head.
"Great match. You ladies made the most of the six minutes you had to wrestle." He looked to Natalie, a smile gracing his face. "Great showing. You haven't missed a beat."
Natalie blushed. "Thanks, that means a lot."
"You're welcome. I mean it though. I saw some of the technical stuff that we learned back at the performance center. Those suplexes you hit on Carmella and Charlotte were perfection."
"That was a perfectly executed snap suplex you nailed on me," Carmella nodded her head, agreeing with AJ. "You were definitely the star of the fatal five way."
"Guys..." Natalie blushed causing AJ and Carmella to laugh at her and her adorableness. "...you're embarrassing me." She covered her face with her hands.
"So, some of us are going out after the show and I was seeing if you ladies wanted to go?" The invitation was sent to both Natalie and Carmella, but AJ had his focus on Natalie as the questioned was asked. Carmella took notice of this and smiled to herself.
Natalie removed her hands from her face and looked in the direction of her best friend. "Mella, you feel like going out?"
Carmella scoffed. "Honey, you know me; I never turn down an invitation to go out."
Natalie rolled her eyes and defensively put her hands up. "My bad, babe." She looked back to AJ. "So, I guess that means we will go out then."
"Great," The Phenomenal one replied with a smile. "Do you two just want to ride with me after the show?"
Natalie and Carmella nodded their heads and said "sure" at the same exact time. AJ laughed at the best friends and how in-sync they were with one another. That's what happens when you hang out with your best friend often; you start picking up their mannerisms.
"I'll just meet you two at the parking lot garage around 10:45 then." He gave Natalie a quick wink before leaving the table. Carmella took notice of this and smiled. It was so obvious that AJ and Natalie were so into each other.
"We'll c'mon, sweetie." Carmella grabbed Natalie's hand and led her to the women's locker room. "You know I have to look good whenever we go out and it's almost 10:00 now. That's only forty minutes for be to get ready." Natalie rolled her eyes at her best friend's dramatic attitude. But, she loved Carmella and wouldn't trade her for the world.
A/N: Hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Thanks for taking the time to read.