Author's Note: Hey guys! Been a long time since you've seen one of these ever in any of my stories.
Anyway, I've been kind of debating on whether to have the Mixed Match Challenge in this or to put it in its own book, kinda like I did with my Pain Within story from years ago for a bit because I know that comes before Mania 34.
I ultimately decided that it would be in its own story. Even though in some ways, it may be canon with a lot of the feuds but in reality, most of very likely isn't canon with the feuds and such. Some teams will be added and other things. And yes, spoiler alert, the fellow protagonist is gonna be participating in the Mixed Match Challenge. So, stay tuned for that.
Also, I didn't really mention this but here, Road Dogg does NOT take over head of the creative. In fact, the wrestlers put down their inputs on storylines but that stuff won't be in this story.
Anyway, here is the next chapter before I ramble any longer. Peace out!

*Third Person POV*

"Up next, we have a women's division match between Imigie and Mickie James," Mauro Ranallo said.

"Speaking of Imigie," Tom Phillips interrupted from next to him. "It seems like Maryse has a plan for her."

"I think Maryse wants to teach Imigie a lesson," JBL guessed, next to Tom.

Tom and Mauro just glared at him before one of them said a word.

"Shut up, JBL!" Tom scolded. "Imigie has done nothing but prove her worth in the division."

Silence fell between the three men for a few seconds.

"And what the hell was Montague thinking with stepping into the situation?" JBL fumed. "He should just keep to himself!"

"JBL, I don't think you realize something," Tom said, shaking his head. "The two have had quite the history in NXT. Besides, Imigie has had multiple intergender matches and there are some of the guys who actually seem to show some compassion for her situation."

No one said another word after that, likely to refrain from causing an argument between the three, or more so between JBL and Tom. All they needed to know was that there was going to be a women's division match. That was was going to be between Mickie James and Imigie. Nothing else mattered at this point except for the match.

*Imigie's POV*

My theme song played as I smiled to the crowd, ready for my match. I had to push everything that Maryse had done to me out of my head so that I would be able to focus. The scars that she left on me were still pretty raw and fresh but as long as I let that build me up, I would be okay.

"The following contest is a women's division match, scheduled for one fall. Approaching the ring, from Austin, Texas, Imigie!"

The smile on my face grew as I continued down the ramp then quickly got into the ring. I positioned myself to be ready for the match.

My music turned off as I waited patiently for my opponent to show up. I still had a feeling that Maryse still had an eye on me, due to the fact that she still carried a lot of beef against me.

New music came on but instead of Mickie James, who I was suppose to face, there came Maryse. With her was her husband, The Miz.

My felt my body tense up over seeing them coming down the ramp. I was suppose to have a match and then suddenly, Maryse decides to pull this off.

Maryse's music turned off and I noticed that she had a microphone in her hand. My eyes widened at the sight and I hoped she would get out soon so that I could start on my match against Mickie.

"Oh, hi Imigie," Maryse said, waving at me.

I didn't wave back. I just stood there in utter disbelief.

"So, I have a little something to show you," Maryse continued. "You'll like it. And my husband helped me with it."

She turned to the titantron.

"Cue the video!" she ordered.

A very familiar video showed on the titantron and my eyes went wider than a plate. There was me, holding the NXT Women's Championship, interviewing the cameraman just minutes before my match.

"Your thoughts about winning the NXT Women's Championship?" The cameraman asked.

I could see from the video that I tensed up a bit at the mention of this.

"Asuka gave me one hell of a fight," I said from in the video. "But, there's something that has been nagging my mind for a while. Asuka almost defeated me and I almost couldn't hold on any longer. Even though I got the NXT Women's Championship, I truly believe that I didn't truly defeat Asuka. She is my toughest opponent and no one could match her."

The video stopped as I saw Maryse, in the video walk down then stopped in surprise. Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh my!" Maryse gasped in mock shock. "Imigie believes that she truly didn't defeat Asuka? Well, here's a test. If she's ready for me, then she'll be ready for Asuka."

She blew a kiss before speaking again.

I just watched, feeling absolutely horrified at what I was seeing.

"But, if Imigie isn't ready for Maryse," Maryse continued from in the video. "She won't be ready for Asuka. Imigie is not the IT superstar. I am. Think Imigie can stand and fight and bring Searing Sorrow up here? Nope! Looks like little Miss Imigie will be swallowed up in her own sorrow."

She blew yet another kiss before the video ended. Boos rang all over the arena from the crowd. I could hear someone laughing from behind me but I didn't turn to see who it was laughing at me. All I was concerned was what I was thinking when I saw that.

My mouth hung open in horror when I saw this. All I wanted to do was to push those thoughts behind me but this was too far.

It wasn't long before I was pushed down to the mat of the ring. Dazed and surprised, I looked up to see Maryse and The Miz standing, laughing at me.

I could already feel the tears forming from my eyes and I knew exactly what was going on. Maryse and The Miz teamed up to humiliate me like this, and I was the one to suffer.

I just crawled to the nearest turnbuckle but much to my dismay, the couple followed me, still laughing at me. At this point, I couldn't leave. They would follow me.

I didn't even know what hurt me more: the humiliation or the pain of Maryse pushing me down. I just knew that she preyed on my doubts that I had long since pushed away.

Maryse pulled me up from the turnbuckle and positioned me for that familiar finisher that I had seen her use before, the French Kiss DDT.

Before she could actually do it, a sudden familiar song played and the crowd cheered loudly.

Maryse dropped me in surprise then I quickly backed away to the ropes to keep my attention to who was actually coming, even though the commentators were already shouting it.

"Oh my god! Is it really? Is it him?"

"It's Douglas Montague from NXT! What is he doing here?"

I didn't hold back the smile on my face when I saw a man with brown hair and brown eyes running down the ramp and got into the ring to attack The Miz. I definitely recognized who it was.

Douglas Montague, my best friend, was here just two weeks before Backlash. I didn't even see him backstage so to see him here was a big surprise.

It was at that moment that I realized that I had to pick myself up and fight again. I couldn't cower away. Especially not like this.

I quickly got up to my feet then began to attack Maryse. I wasn't going to allow her to humiliate me like this ever again. And she was NOT going to create an absurd plan like using my doubts of my match against Asuka as something to pit against me.

I was about to deliver a punch to Maryse when Maryse came quicker and kicked me down to the ground. My chest felt heavy as I watched Maryse taunting me. She did this until Douglas scared her and The Miz away out of the ring.

I slowly sat up then curled myself in a ball, rocking back and forth as the memory of what had just happened replayed in my head. It wore on my mind greatly and it was a bit before I got back up on my feet, just to see that Douglas was gone. Something told me that he went after The Miz or something.

I didn't want to bother chasing after him so I decided that I would just find somewhere private to to attempt to recuperate or at least try to process everything.

I got out of the ring and walked up the ramp, my head down due to my mental state. I just couldn't muster up the courage to look up. I was too wrapped up in my own pain to do so.

"Imigie rocks!" the crowd chanted.

I slowly looked up at the crowd with a sad smile on my face as I headed for backstage.

When I was backstage, my smile faded completely and I was looking down again. Never did I imagine that I would be humiliated like this. I absolutely hated it.

My mind suddenly felt numb, like I didn't know what to feel anymore. Sure, I was happy that Douglas came to the scene but the humiliation and pain overshadowed the happiness.

I dropped to my knees then crawled towards a crowd of soundboards to hide myself there. I curled myself into a ball then began to feel my shoulders shaking.

Was I really this overwhelmed by the humiliation done by the called "It Couple?" I wasn't entirely sure but gave me a horrible flashback to when Maryse first began to target me, the night when I had made my debut. Seeing the way Maryse has preyed on me was something I had never expected her to do.

"So this is how it ends," I said to myself, hardly even recognizing my own voice. "Maryse attempts to break me again but soon, karma will come to her."

So many thoughts and questions ran through my mind as I buried my face in my knees. I didn't know whether to cry or not. I didn't even know if Maryse was actually trying to tell me something, or perhaps, foreshadowing a future rematch between me and Asuka when I would actually truly lose.

It began to haunt me. Even Nikki Cross, who I had lost the NXT Women's Championship to, didn't even prey on me like this. I was sure that Maryse had been watching my NXT feud with Asuka. It wouldn't have been surprising for her to possibly figure out that I had actually almost lost against Asuka. The thought caused my shoulders to shaking even more as I rocked myself back and forth, fighting back tears.

This was almost a kind of feeling I remembered having after my entire ordeal with my old ally Janalyn. She, who was currently on Raw, had stabbed me in the back in NXT all because I refused to allow her to cheat. That began to haunt me.

"If this is how it's gonna be, I'm not sure if I'll ever be the same again," I muttered in a shaky voice. "It might hit me so bad that even Douglas might not be able to crack my pain."

All I knew was that Maryse and The Miz had humiliated me and now I was the one to suffer in the back. I hated it but it was my reality. Maryse hated the fact that I was making my way up the ranks to possibly get a title shot in the future so humiliating me was the way for me to step down.

"If I lose this match, I'll never be the same again," I muttered sadly. "And I'll never be able to unsee what Maryse showed me earlier."

I didn't even look up to see if anyone heard me or not. I was sure that no one heard me because of how quiet I was. Even if someone heard and asked me, I found it hard to describe my current state of mind. And I had a feeling that I was in line for Talking Smack tonight. Only this time, there was no frustration.

I suddenly began to feel a raw stinging pain in my heart and I already knew why.

I began to question if I was really strong enough to fight back against the kind of pain that Maryse had put me through. Was I able to pull through or did Maryse already crack me through?

The thoughts only made it worse and at that point, I was close to crying. It was brutal to realize that I was forced into this state of mind.

"Are you okay?"

I slowly looked up to see Douglas Montague standing by me with a sympathetic look in his eyes. I had to be honest with him because he read me like a book that he knew very well of.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

Douglas took a seat beside me then took my hand.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said quietly. "You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to. Just tell me what you're able to tell me."

"Maryse and The Miz," I muttered, shuddering. "They... they've broken through me... I won't be able to... unsee what they showed me..."

I questioned my choice of words but it was the best I could put it. I couldn't say another word at that point so I buried my face in my knees again.

I felt Douglas pull me close to him in a comforting hug. I wanted to smile at his actions but I couldn't. I was too wrapped up into everything that had happened.

"Maryse..." I said, burying my face in Douglas' shoulder. "She's done this ever since I came here..."

"It'll be okay, Imi," Douglas whispered. "I know you're having a hard time grasping this situation but I'm right here. It's like back in NXT, after Janalyn betrayed you. I'll always have your back."

I found myself smiling but it was a small smile.

"You know, I know you're due for Talking Smack tonight but if you're not feeling up to talking about it, I can fill in for you and be like a witness," Douglas suggested.

I looked up, pondering at this. It was a nice offer for him to try to help me, considering that we had known each other since our NXT days. I knew he wanted to try to help me over my sudden breakdown but at the same time, I didn't want to cower away from speaking up about it. There was only one more Smackdown until Backlash and I was determined to keep my head up, even though I was very pained on the inside.

"No," I said weakly. "I have to. They'll need to hear what I have to say."

Douglas seemed to understand as he pulled me closer to him. I welcomed the comfort and hoped it would be enough to make me more stable for when I had to speak on Talking Smack. The last thing I wanted was for Shane McMahon to think of plans to possibly throw me on Raw or something.

Even though my face was buried in Douglas' chest, I could tell that it hurt him to see me in this state. Hell, it probably even hurt him after the past times Maryse attacked me.

"Don't try to isolate yourself like that again," Douglas said. "It hurts to watch you like this. One of my friends actually told me about what was going to happen. That's why I ran out to the rescue before Maryse hit you with that French Kiss."

I looked up, my eyes widening in surprise. Never did I expect for him to show up at all, let alone hear what was going to happen and then come to my rescue before Maryse would push me down again.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"Montague," Douglas replied. "Miz actually told him that tampering with your doubts on your victory against Asuka would be a good idea. Montague told him it wasn't but Miz didn't listen to him. Then he saw Miz and Maryse looking a little too enthusiastically. Turns out that Maryse eavesdropped on Miz and Monty and then Monty eavesdropped on Miz and Maryse. I was already gonna debut anyway and I was gonna just have a match but when I heard about that stuff, there was no way I was going to just not come out. Besides, I'm not just saying this just because I'm your best friend."

He took my hand then squeezed it tightly, enough to give me a sense of comfort.

"I'm saying this because I've seen your journey in NXT," he continued. "I've watched your struggles. I mean, you've been through so much and I'm glad that I could help you through all of that as well as others."

He wrapped an arm around me, making me feel a lot better than before.

"And, when I saw that you almost would've lost the match against Asuka, I was terrified," he said. "But, in the end, you managed to pull yourself together to win. I know that you started to doubt about you having her where you wanted her but regardless, you held the NXT Women's Championship title. That's something to be proud of."

I smiled weakly at him as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead. The kiss though made me feel even better, even though I still felt quite bad from earlier.

Ever since I first met Douglas in NXT (he had debuted about six months after me), he had been like a mentor to me. Even though I was already considered a pretty good wrestler, Douglas helped me improve. He was only about three years older than me but he helped me through a lot in the business which I admired greatly.

"I guess that's true," I replied with a sad smile. "But I'll admit, Asuka was tough. No wonder why I almost lost against her during that match."

He just chuckled a little as he hugged me again as I hugged him back. This was definitely making me feel happier after the shit I went through earlier.

Douglas let me go then eyed me, his expression was full of concern. I already had a feeling on what he would ask me.

"Are you sure you'll be... okay to speak on Talking Smack?" he asked. "I just really care for you and I don't want you to fall into another breakdown like you had when you first spoke on there."

I looked down for a moment, pondering if I was really okay or not. I was sure I was but maybe I really wasn't and everything that went on earlier with Maryse humiliating me greatly wore on my mental state. Despite this, I was determined to speak about what happened because being silent would do nothing. Plus, the WWE Universe would be left in the dark and putting them in that dilemma would be the worst thing for me to do.

I looked up at Douglas, eyes rather hopeful but still with a slight hint of sorrow.

"I'll be fine," I answered quietly. "Besides, I can't just leave the WWE Universe in the dark if I don't say anything on my state of mind."

Douglas nodded, seemingly understanding what I had said as I slowly got up to my feet. I was ready for Talking Smack and this time, I wasn't going to walk out. Instead, I would try to collect my thoughts together. Sure, it would be painful to remember the humiliation that Maryse put me through but if I didn't give my word, I would get several looks of concern over that they'd have no idea what was up.

I was just about to leave when I heard Douglas call my name. I turned back to him, almost positive that he would say something along the lines of "good luck" or anything but much to my surprise, something completely different came out.

"I meant to tell you this earlier but you were pretty deep in your broken state of mind so I let it rest until you got a little better," he said. "Anyway, Monty and a few others have told me they've been hearing rumblings of something called a Mixed Match Challenge. It would start a little after Christmas or something. And, well, I'm not sure if it's gonna be confirmed soon or anything but it's looking like it will be set in stone."

My eyes lit up when I heard this. I always found mixed tag matches to be fun and they were my strongest type of tag matches.

"And honestly, if it is true," Douglas continued, chuckling a little. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were in the match. You always seem to excel with mixed tag matches."

I just laughed a little. He wasn't wrong though. I remembered being involved in a lot of mixed tag matches in the indies and even quite a few of them in NXT.

I then smiled at Douglas before turning to head for Talking Smack.

"I'll see you after Talking Smack," I said.

"Good luck," he replied.

It was now time for Talking Smack. Having to remember what went down was painful enough but I let Douglas' words comfort me. I just quietly walked down the backstage hall until I noticed the same setup for Talking Smack with Daniel and Renee as the hosts. It was almost time.