April 3rd, 2017
Following Wrestlemania last night, the NXT roster and crew flew back to Orlando. Bayley had wrapped up a workout session on one of the leg press machines in the Performance Center. It was late morning and while the Performance Center was always lively, no one was in the particular section of the building that she was in right now. The place was huge with various hubs and wings. It very well could have been that some talent were on another floor. For that reason, Bayley decided to remove her headphones from the port of her smartphone and sync it wirelessly to her "Beats by Dre" portable pill capsule shaped speaker. Currently playing was the song, "Speaking from Heart," by "Macho Man" Randy Savage from 1993's "Wrestlemania: The Album."
Shannon walked in the room, grabbed the Apple Cinnamon scented bottle of Febreeze on one of the shelves, and sprayed it. Yes, all gyms had their fair share of musk and sweat, but the room was cleaned a few hours ago by janitors on the facilities management staff. Shannon was just being playful and sprayed to get Bayley's attention.
"Pam, I have that same CD!" Shannon squealed as she sat on the bench to the shoulder press machine, but didn't bother grabbing the bar handles themselves to go to work on her arms. She did work with rope earlier in the morning. So if her shoulders, traps, and bis wanted more reps of something else, then they'd just have to freaking wait. "I cannot keep a straight face whenever I listen to this song. It's too...fucking...hilarious. You know when I was little, I actually thought the roster were singing their songs. It wasn't until later that I realized the CD was just packed with promos chopped and spliced with vocals from real singers and rappers alongside it."
"Yep, and Savage's song is one of the funniest," Bayley replied matching Shannon's smile. "Simon Cowell produced that album, and has some Brit background singers on the chorus. If you listen closely, instead of 'Macho Man,' they say 'Nacho Man.' "
The chorus repeated and the ladies collectively burst into laughter, following Bayley's epiphany.
"Get ya' heart a'pumping!
He gets the party jumping!
He's the Nacho Man!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Everybody's saying,
He's really quite amazing.
He's the Nacho Man!"
"Hahaha. I knew I wasn't crazy!" Shannon yelled pointing a finger at Bayley. "I thought I was the only one who thought that."
"Nope," Bayley replied with a shake of the head. "I'm an even bigger Savage mark than you. I definitely noticed. 'The Deadman' even had a track. I heard him say 'Dance with the Undertaker. ' I heard it clear as day! But it seemed so wrong, given his gimmick!"
Shannon paused for a moment before a devilish smirk slowly emerged on her face. "Hey, do you have Corbin's number?"
"Yeah," Bayley nodded with the response. "Why?"
"I haven't forgotten about him fucking with me," Shannon said with a grimace. "Let's rib his ass! Give it to me."
Bayley gave her best friend Baron Corbin's number, and Shannon saved it before getting up and pausing the music on Bayley's speaker. Then she dialed another number.
"Hey Jamar," said Shannon as Bayley twisted her head not yet sure what was on Shannon's mind. Shannon just placed a single finger to her lips, alerting Bayley to keep quiet for the moment. "Good morning, or afternoon depending on where you are."
"Morning," said the wrestler known to many as former ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"
"Have you been watching this season of Breaking Ground?" Shannon asked.
"Psst. No," Lethal responded with a grunt. "My WWE Network subscription is used strictly for the wrestling. I'm on the grind just like your main roster ladies and gents are, helping Cole carry the brand. I don't have time for that reality show bullshit you guys put together at the E. I get why it's being done. I see the business side if it. But personally, it's not my cup of tea."
Shannon laughed at Lethal's remarks. She didn't disagree.
"Well anyway, a few months back when I came to NXT this Baron Corbin douche who was a fucking bum in the NFL, was talking a lot of shit. I tweeted about one of your shows, and he called me out on being a traitor, said Uhaa worked for you guys, and broke my laptop," Shannon explained to Lethal as she sat back down on the bench.
"This loser sounds like a total tool," Lethal responded as he slapped his knee. "Crews was never here, and he wrecks your shit over a damn tweet?"
"Yeah, I know. He almost hit me too," Shannon continued and Lethal sat up in his seat by her last comment, although she couldn't see it on the other end. "So I need you to do me a favor."
"I'm not one to abandon a friend in a time of need Shannon, but how helpful can I be when you're in Orlando and I'm in Kalamazoo?" Lethal asked. He had to do press there before the live event later in the evening. Then the national TV taping would take place still there in the state of Michigan, but in the city of Detroit.
"You don't have to leave," Shannon affirmed. "I want to rib him. Pam's with me. You two are huge Savage marks! And no one in the business does a better Flair or Savage impersonation than you. She's given me his number. I'm going to block mine before I call it. Then I'll put my phone on speaker, but you need to stay on for three way. I want you to talk to him in your Savage voice."
Bayley laughed. Finally, she understood the meaning of this phone call and from the looks of it, was going to enjoy yet another rib she and Shannon played on another talent.
"Ha, alright, well what do you want me to say?" Lethal asked as he checked his watch. "I've got press to do in 30 minutes, and I don't have anything prepared."
"That's fine man," Shannon remarked. "It'll be only for a few minutes. And you can totally wing it Jamar. I don't care what you say. Alright, stay on the line. I'm about to dial."
Shannon grabbed a blueberry, oats, and lemon "Whenever Bar" by Pamela's to snack on. The bar had ten percent of fiber, nine grams of whole grains, and 150 milligrams of Omega 3 fatty acids. The phone rang and on the fourth dial, Corbin picked up.
"Hello," he said in a pissed tone, noticing a vacant display on the caller ID.
"Hello to you as well sir," Lethal began and Shannon and Bayley had to cover their mouths with both hands because it was hysterical how eerily spot-on Lethal was with his impressions. From the voice, to knowing which vowels and consonants Savage placed an upward inflection of emphasis on, Lethal was unmatched. "Is this Mr. Baron Corbin?"
"It is," said Corbin. "Who are you?"
"I am..." Lethal paused dramatically. "What I am. I soar with the eagles, and slither with the snakes!"
Corbin looked down at his phone to reconfirm what he knew the moment he accepted the phone call. "This number's blocked. Where are you from?"
"I'm from the tower of power, too sweet to be sour, where things get funky like a monkey, and the sky's the limit, but the space is the place!" Lethal said wildly standing up. The ladies couldn't see him of course, but like many actors, physically moving could help you get into character more.
"What the fuck do you want from me?" Corbin asked angrily.
"First young man, you need to watch your tone with me," Lethal began pointing a finger towards the window of his hotel room. "Just because you've grown a little taller over the years and put some bass in your voice, it does not make you sound intimidating or more of a man."
Lethal could hear Corbin's snorts through the phone. Apparently it didn't take long to bruise his ego.
"Secondly, before you snap into the insults, you need to snap into some statistics. You may want to be a star sunshine. But given that you weren't even aware that Apollo Crews never worked for Ring of Honor, you don't even deserve to be in the pathway of Orion's Comet!"
Bayley and Shannon were stomping the carpeted floor to fight off the laughter. She spit some of her bar out of her mouth. Thank God it was soft and chewy or she would've likely been choking if it were something hard like an oats and honey crispy bar by "Nature Valley." Shannon quickly covered her mouth again to veil the laugh. She and Bayley's stomachs were hurting holding it in.
"And while we're on the subject of snapping, have you been skipping out on leg day Baron?" Lethal asked. "Snap into a Slim Jim! Your body may not improve, just like your tackles didn't in the pros. But you'll definitely feel the madness of protein with every bite! Dig it!"
"Look I don't know who the fuck you are or what this shit's about!" Corbin screamed so loud that it sounded like he was spitting in the phone. "I'm about to hang up."
"Just know that wherever you go, I will be with you," Lethal said with a clenched fist as he started pacing in his hotel room. "I will always be with you. From the moon, the stars, Venus, Pluto, Saturn. We will be here together. And we will be here together, forever! Ooh yeah!"
Shannon, Bayley, and Lethal heard a click. Corbin hung up.
"Well I guess that's it," Lethal replied after a chuckle. "He stayed longer on the phone than I anticipated."
Bayley and Shannon finally removed their hands from their mouths, and laughed for a solid three minutes. Lethal had to remove the phone from his ear.
"Ladies, was it really all that funny? Lethal asked.
"Yes!" Bayley exclaimed. "You don't realize how great you are. Because you've done it so long that it's like breathing to you. That's how genuinely natural it comes across."
Shannon couldn't say anything. She was belied over still laughing her ass off.
"Thanks man," Bayley replied, who now after staring at Shannon, started to laugh again too. "That was awesome. We'll let you head off to promote your shows."
"You're welcome," Lethal responded. "Take care you two."
Bayley grabbed Shannon's phone and ended the call for her.
April 9th, 2017
Shannon, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Finn Bálor, Jason Jordan, and Chad Gable were in the conference room at the WWE Performance Center having a meeting with some of Paul's team. The meeting that Shannon attended in January was about presenting the character of "Shannon Storm" to the audience. This was a hybrid Creative and production meeting for future storylines. For that reason, only agents Amy, and Dean were present alongside Paul. Even though Road Dogg was a producer like Kidman and Noble, he was Paul's head producer and right hand, like Kevin Dunn was for Vince McMahon. So he had to be at the meeting as well.
"Alright, everyone. You're at this meeting because I want to go over some storylines that I want to begin, which will culminate at the NXT Takeover: Passion, which takes place in June," said Paul who was wearing a grey suit with light purple pin stripes and a lavender dress shirt. His tie and pocket square complimented the shirt in color.
"Alright, let's start off with the man, the champion, Finn Balór," Paul continued and Bayley playfully rubbed Finn's shoulders as he grinned. "Even though Nakamura won the number one contendership to face you next, we ended the show with Roode taking you out. I'd like to do more with that. People aren't idiots, and I don't want to treat them like they are. They know you were in the 'Bullet Club.' They know Nakamura's from New Japan. They know you were once there. They see the connection. But it doesn't mean I can't tease them."
"You want to delay the title defense with Balór and Nakamura?" asked Dean.
"Yes," Paul replied. "But not by just calling the match off altogether. We can screw with the crowd's mind. Question their logic. Right now, they're probably thinking, 'Oh, Bobby Roode's here now. I guess he's the new challenger for Finn instead. Hunter's not giving us what we want.' "
"Or maybe they don't know what they want because you'll throw them a curveball so to speak," said Road Dogg.
"Right," Paul quickly responded with a nod. "Roode's here. But he hasn't shared his intentions of why he's in NXT to the world. Maybe he doesn't want the NXT Heavyweight title, but wants to send a message to the locker room. We just reinstated the Cruiserweight Championship and have made it exclusive to the NXT brand. Rich Swann is the champion. I want Roode to attack him during a match at one of the tapings."
"Bobby's 6'1, 240, and in great shape. It's not impossible if we asked him to drop twenty pounds by the next Takeover to join the cruiserweight division," said Amy.
"Yes Amy, and that's my point," Paul replied leaning forward in his chair, nodding at her. "We need to beef up the depth in that division. I haven't decided for sure if that's the role I want Roode to have-being a leader in that weight class; but I love the idea of him attacking different champions with singles titles. Without even cutting a promo or doing an interview, attacking these people every week gets people talking. It's like, 'What's this fucker's deal? Does he want this title? Does he want that title? Does he just want to hurt people and cause all kinds of raucous and mayhem?' "
"So he's attacking me, he's attacking Rich, and people don't know if me and Nakamura is still green-lighted," Finn remarked with a grin. "It could put GM Regal in a position to have to add Bobby to the next title defense, making it a triple threat. It's not what they want, but they get Shinsuke and Finn some way."
"Or," Paul began holding a finger up. "You still get Shinsuke-Finn at Takeover, but Baron Corbin calls Bobby out, thinking he's trying to replace him as the proverbial big bad wolf of NXT so to speak."
"How about Shinsuke taking on Bobby at the Takeover for the right to face Finn?" asked Bayley. "That gets heat for Bobby because Nakamura's already earned the right to face Finn from the most recent Takeover. The crowd embraces Nakamura even more. They already like him, but now sympathize with him even more for having an unnecessary match."
Paul didn't say anything, but he was paying very close attention.
"And, let's say Bobby goes over," Amy said. "The fans wonder, 'what does this mean? Are there two number one contenders now as Nakamura won in March and Bobby won in June? Does Nakamura's win cancel out because we're going by the most recent number one contender's victory?' "
"That's not a bad idea," said Paul.
"I say we go with that," Road Dogg said, pulling up his seat closer to the table and placing his forearms on it. "So the world doesn't know if we have one contender or two. Meanwhile, we haven't answered the question of what Finn's doing at Takeover? Maybe he says in an interview at the Takeover, 'if Regal can't resolve the situation, he'll take on the winner of the match in the main event anyway. That is if either man is willing to take on a recuperated demon.' "
"Good stuff Roadie," Paul said with another nod. "I think I'll go with that. And to spice things up, Finn will go over at Takeover. And being the good guy that he is-despite the irony of calling himself 'the demon,' he'll give Nakamura an individual title match on NXT TV at a later date anyway."
The group didn't interrupt Paul this time. They listened on to see what was up the "King of Kings' " sleeve.
"I like that idea because that's what NXT is supposed to be: a force. We don't just stop at Takeovers. This brand is so good in terms of the quality of talent that we want people to know at any given day, on any given episode, you can expect a stellar show. I want my people here hungry. Competition brings out the best in people. While my main roster folks are scratching, clawing, and bitching about who gets a Wrestlemania moment, my kids here are confident because they bust their asses, knowing they're capable of creating Wrestlemania moments any day of the week, twice on Sunday."
"Wednesday big man," said Road Dogg with a smile. "Takeovers are usually Wednesdays. "
Paul rolled his eyes. He was the Chairman and CEO of the damn company. Of course he knew the schedule and airing of every show. He was just saying that form of expression for emphasis.
"I mean not that anyone's counting though," Road Dogg said and intentionally coughed to avoid the awkwardness between Paul and everyone else's stares of irritation.
Shannon, Bayley, Finn, Becky, Chad, and Jason all smiled and applauded Paul's passionate claims.
"Yeah Hunter, it's true. There were times when some fans would argue this brand was better than the main roster, and I would be taken back by it. Because it seemed like such an ass backwards compliment," said Dean. "But now, I see the intent by it. We work very hard here," he pressed his index fingers of each hand hard on the table. "So they are prepared to go there," he finished pointing his thumb towards the door figuratively implying the talent's departure from developmental to the main roster.
"Thanks Deano," said Paul. "That's the goal. The future is now. Anyway, moving on. Jordan and Gable asked me earlier if they could work with Shannon since they all have an amateur background."
Shannon leaned back in her seat and turned her head to Chad, who was next to her, but across the table from Jason. This was news to her. Chad gave her a half smile and and Jason shrugged his shoulders with his hands opened as though to give a her an optimistic, "Maybe."
"But I think that's a terrible idea," Paul said dismissing their Creative and Shannon was close enough to Chad to hear him mumble "Damn." She reached her hand under the table and gave him a friendly-not sensual-pat on the knee, reassuring him that it was alright.
"We've worked too hard to get you guys over as a team," Paul continued. "As you know Chad, you were very over in the beginning. The whole, 'Ready, willing, and Gable' thing took off. But people were lukewarm to Jason. Last year things changed. And you were finally over as a team. So we put the straps on you. Doing something with a heel Shannon Storm I believe destroys that progress."
Chad and Jason tilted their head to the left, thinking about Paul's words and realized he was right. They were disappointed, but he was right. The move would be counter productive.
"And besides, you just lost your titles to Gargano and Ciampa. The crowd was behind you on your rise to the championships. Let's see if they stay with you watching the babyface team's journey back toward recapturing the gold."
They were now over it. They were grown men, not children. They wouldn't pout about Creative just because their idea got shot down despite some famous wrestlers of the past who did just that.
"But," Paul remarked rubbing his beard. "What we could do during the next tour is have Shannon work matches with you guys during live events. Some six-person tags. Some regular tags with her serving as your valet. Some singles matches for her with you two in her corner. It could be a test run to see how I think you'd guys be if I decided to turn you heel, or turn her face. Dean, will you give me feedback on the reaction the crowd gives them?"
"Yeah," Dean snapped, not being one of many words.
"Cool," responded Paul. "It's not like I want you guys to ignore your backgrounds, or stop being friends if you are. I'm your boss, not your therapist, or life coach. It's just that I don't want your interaction televised for purposes of the directions each of your characters are."
"Understood," said Chad.
"We got it," Jason affirmed.
"Perfect," Paul said unbuttoning his suit jacket and then reaching his right arm up rubbing the back of his head. "Now to you ladies," he turned to Bayley, Becky and Shannon.
"Shannon you've partaken in some live events, had a few squash matches on the webisodes on the WWE Network, last week's Takeover, and a nice mixed tag with Bayley, Crews, and Breeze. It's time you start to matter on the roster. It's time you become relevant."
So far, so good.
"Becky and Bayley, you two have had excellent matches with each other and some of the other women around. But people have seen that. After awhile like bread, it can get stale," Paul explained and Bayley let out a snort as Paul found a way to use food as a simile. It was a morning meeting, and she hadn't had breakfast yet. Shannon laughed at Bayley's snorting.
"So I thought of a way to freshen things up a bit. You remember the Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament I started in 2015?" No one said anything, figuring that Paul's question was a rhetorical one. It was. "That got a surprisingly positive response. And I think it's because people miss tournaments. People loved the 'King of The Ring' because they got qualifying matches on Raw. Then got to see quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals live on the actual Pay Per View. It was a way to raise the stock in talent who weren't yet champions, but had the potential to be. Eventually the Pay Per View was discarded-not my decision-but I digress."
Yeah, that's on Vinny Mac. Not you, Trips.
Everyone remained silent. But curiously silent. Finn Balor, teamed with Samoa Joe to win the first ever Dusty Rhodes Classic at the October 2015 Takeover. Shannon, Bayley, and Becky wondered what this had to do with them because there was no female tag team division on the brand.
"Well I've decided to create another tournament called the Attitude Era Invitational," he said with a bright smile. "It will be a tag team tournament featuring solely the women of the roster and will serve as a tribute to all of the ladies that have contributed to the company's success during that time period. All of you will be in that tournament. Becky, Shannon will be your partner."
Becky, who sat across from Shannon, but next to Amy reached her arm across the table to high five Shannon. "Weather the lass kicking! I like it!" Becky shouted with glee as Shannon joined her in the high five.
"Great," said Paul. "One, I love the pairing because it's different. Two, I've always liked intentionally having an imbalance of faces and heels in multi-person matches. It plays with the crowd as they don't know when or even if someone will turn. So throughout the tournament as partners, you and Becky will be doing that, teasing the crowd. The journey will be an interesting dynamic because you'll be a face-heel tag team."
The ladies nodded and Bayley spoke.
"Who's my partner?" asked Bayley.
"I haven't decided just yet," he said simply.
"Well, who's winning it?" she followed up.
"Not you," Paul stated. "You're already the NXT Women's Champion. You'll participate, but you won't win. I believe that was my father in law's problem with Cena. John was his guy. But he put everything on him. He was a Tag Team Champion with Shawn. He was a Tag Team Champion with Dave. U.S. Champion. WWE Champion. World Heavyweight Champion. Won the Royal Rumble twice and was inserted in my Wrestlemania main event despite me already being due a rematch with Orton. Won the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match where the actual world title was on the line. He accumulated multiple victories over folks fans viewed astronomically better than him in the ring, which was true. Every title he lost, he won it back just as fast that you never remembered him really losing it."
"No kidding," said Bayley with a smile. "It seemed like he was champion for an entire decade even when I know it wasn't always the case."
"Yeah, it can work for a heel, but if you put too much on a babyface, people will rebel," Paul responded to her. "Believe it or not, there was a time babyface Shawn was getting booed in '96, especially during his Sid Vicious feud. It took Bret calling his knee injury phony in '97 for people to get back on him. I can't stand Bret personally, but I can be cordial with him professionally. I guess he tried taking a dig at Shawn, who did have a legit knee injury at the time. It was not kayfabe. And it ended up biting Bret in the ass. Because Shawn used that to turn heel. And well, you know how entertaining the 'Heartbreak Kid' of 1997 was."
"Who doesn't?" Finn asked with a laugh.
"You won't be defending the Women's Championship at the June Takeover since you'll be participating in this. We'll have the semi-finals and finals matches on that show," Paul explained and everyone at the table nodded their heads. "Becky, you and Shannon will be going over. Then Shannon will turn on you afterwards. By that point you would've worked as a unit, got the job done, and a small gesture of respect would be shown, which trolls the smarks. It reminds me a little of 'Big Evil' Undertaker against Jeff Hardy for the title in a ladder match in '02. Big Evil was the heel obviously, but he showed respect to Jeff. It was rare and unique. That's something heels don't do, like ever. They may true enough respect you, but they never admit it to you or acknowledge it. They'll gloat to you about how you ought to respect them, but not you. So once the 'turn,' which isn't even a real turn since she's been heel the entire time, happens, it'll be a big deal."
"So Becky will be Shannon's next program following the tournament?" asked Amy who stuck a ball point pen in her hair to scratch her head.
"We'll see how all of this plays out first-how they perform, and how the people react," Paul replied to Amy's question. "Sometimes if you plan too far ahead, you stunt the natural progression of something great happening organically. Take for example my push. The '96 'King of the Ring' was mine on paper. I was booked the victor. But I fucked up, did something I shouldn't have done, and it was taken away. Had plans remained in tact, God knows where I would be. 'The Blueblood' wasn't ready for that push. 'Stone Cold' was. My time came later, and everyone benefited from it."
Finn, Becky, Bayley, Shannon, Chad and Jason all folded their hands on the table. Now knowing what their short term Creative was, they wondered what else was going to be talked about.
"Well everyone, if there are no further questions, you're dismissed," Paul said rising from his seat, and grabbing the two buttons on his suit jacket to fasten. "I will contact you when I fine tune the details with the full writing team on Creative, and have a larger meeting with all other talent involved in your respective matches."
April 13th, 2017
NXT was wrapping up their leg of live tours in Pennsylvania today, and per the request of Paul, she sent a tweet promoting it. He still didn't mind her infrequency or the extent of her tweets, but she at least was opening up to sending at least one per house show solely for purposes of promoting the event.
AtSStormWWE: "Yeah. Uh-huh. You know what it is. #BlackAndYellowBlackAndYellowBlackAndYellowBlackAndYellow See you later tonight Pittsburgh at AtNXT live!"
New tweet from user: AtSteelCurtainDude2004:
"Fuck you, AtSStormWWE! You're from BMore. GTFO here. We don't like ratbirds."
She responded to this clown. Just because you were from or lived in a particular city, didn't mean you followed the sports teams there. Shannon went off on the young man. It didn't matter to her that he was thirteen.
AtSStormWWE: "AtSteelCurtainDude2004: And? Not everyone in Baltimore is a Ravens fan. So let me take a moment to school you son! When the punk ass Colts lied to the city about not leaving and hopped on the Mayflower trucks in the middle of a blizzard in 1984 for Indianapolis, we went 12 years without AtNFL football. We don't like D.C., so refused to be Redskins fans. Some of us started following the Cowboys. But quite a bit joined #SteelerNation. Even though we got the AtNFL back in 1996, some fans remained loyal to the Steelers here. But since you want to be a dick about it, fuck the Shittsburgh Squeelers! I'm glad Flacco beat your ass in the playoffs on YOUR turf in AtHeinzField in January. #7TDsOnThatRidiculousBackfield #SoMuchForASteelCurtain"
Later in the afternoon she texted a friend.
Me: Hey Lukey.
Luke: Sup girl?
Me: For whatever strange reason, I decided to watch a little bit of the NFL Network today. They were showing highlights of your NFC Championship game against the Seahawks last year. Nice sack.
Shannon was texting starting middle linebacker of the Carolina Panthers, Luke Kuechly. They dated briefly when she went to college at UPenn. The relationship was very short, lasting only for a semester. No one cheated on the other, but he was a senior and she was a freshman. He accumulated enough credits to graduate, but still had a fifth and final year of academic eligibility to play football if he so chose. So after graduating from UPenn, he transferred to Boston College to start a Masters program. The decision proved successful because after a solid season with the Boston College Eagles in 2012, he was drafted in the first round by the Carolina Panthers. He also went on to win the NFL defensive rookie of the year award in his inaugural season as a pro. The two remained friends.
Luke: "For whatever strange reason" my ass! I saw that tweet you sent this morning burying a fan from Pitt. Don't be so mean to people's children. :P
Me: Well he's not my kid! He shouldn't write checks that his ass can't cash. Lol
Luke: And which sack? I had a hat trick in that game.
Me: Haha. All of them. You were on beast mode that night. But what the fuck happened in the Superbowl last year? That wasn't even a good Peyton!
Luke: :( Let's not even get into that one. At least we made it to the Superbowl. This year we didn't. I have faith we'll be back this year though. You're hearing it from me first: We are very close to signing JJ Watt from the Texans. With him causing mayhem blitzing the quarterback, I can drop back in coverage with a tight end, or fuck up a wideout's route! Today's linebackers don't just have strength and smarts, but speed as well. ;)
Me: Sick! Man, you'll be like the Basham Brothers. Houston's going to be pissed that they dropped 100 million on him two years ago, with 56 guaranteed. But I'm not hating. The homie wants a ring.
Luke: Haha, of course you'd throw a wrestling reference in there! I know we haven't talked all that much in a few years, but I'm not a stranger. I'm proud of you Shannon. I'm glad you made it to the WWE. Nothing's changed: you still have that fire. And you're still beautiful. :D
Me: Aww, thank you Lucas! I'm proud of you too. That Carolina blue goes great with your eyes. Send Cam Newton, and all of your squad my best. :D
Luke: I will. I've gotta' jet for Offseason Training Activities. I'll see you when I see you. And for the record, that Corbin dude will always be subpar. Not just during his stint here on the gridiron, but whatever he thinks he's doing in NXT.
Shannon smiled as she closed the text messaging window of her phone. Luke must have seen their exchange on Breaking Ground, all those months ago. Or a clip of it at least. She didn't name drop him when she cursed out Baron Corbin, but Luke would've known she was talking about him when she mentioned dating someone who was in the NFL that didn't mention Corbin being particularly great.
April 16th, 2017
Shannon was at the Performance Center this afternoon. She finished up a promo class with "Superstar" Billy Graham. She did a promo for him on a random subject, and he noticed that she liked to swear. Not in general, just in the promo. Graham told her while it didn't bother him personally hearing such words, she needed to be poised with her placement of them. If every other word was a curse word coming out of her mouth, she may come across as a crazed woman in an HBO film, rather than a heel doing a good job at berating the crowd or their rival due to frustration about what happened in an angle. If it made sense throughout the course of promo, then go for it, but don't make it a priority to do it just for the sake of doing it.
He stepped outside for some fresh air. She remained in the classroom and decided to log on her YouTube account on the smartboard in the room to watch some classic Ric Flair promos. She subscribed to a user's account that uploaded hundreds of promos from the second "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Superstar" Billy Graham, and "Ravishing" Rick Rude. She thought this was convenient because rather than watching a full match, or a segment break down to a brawl, these were just clips of promo after promo.
There was a knock on the door. Shannon thought that was weird because Graham already knew she was in there, so why would he knock? She decided to answer it anyway.
"Oh, hey, Lita." said Shannon before Amy moved to the side. Shannon's volume raised. "O-M-G, and Trish is with you? Come in, come in!"
"Hey, I know we're doing the segment a little later, but I wanted Pat to meet you and chat a little bit," said Amy with a grin as she pointed her thumb to Patricia Strategias, known to millions of fans as Trish Stratus. "Superstar's out for a smoke. He told us that we'd find you here."
"We hope you didn't mind," said Patricia.
"Mind?" Shannon said looking at Patricia as though she should know Shannon wouldn't dare have the audacity to dismiss a visit from either woman. "Are you freaking kidding me? This is exciting!"
"The place is really great," Amy replied with an affirmative nod. "I like the atmosphere, the set, it's all very refreshing. I'm glad I decided to come back and help out."
"Yeah Amy, it is," Patricia responded as she stepped further into the room. "I think they're a little spoiled though if you ask me. Seven rings in the Performance Center, an arena that replicates the exact setup of a Raw or Smackdown show at Full Sail, promo coaches, and a ridiculous array of workout equipment and machines better than any other sports training center in the world? We didn't get all of that. We had to grow and figure a lot of shit out on our own."
Hey, but I work hard to earn my keep! And you've gotta' give Trips the credit. He drew up the proposal, budget, and designed this entire place.
"Sorry Trish, if I'm marking out a little bit. I just have to get it out of my system before the tapings start. I'm like this meeting most legends for the first time," Shannon clarified.
"Truly everyone that's ever been considered great has a little bit of a mark in them. We're all marks," Amy said as she rubbed a hand on Shannon's shoulder to soothe her of her nervousness. "That's how we all got started in this. There was someone we thought was rad or badass and wanted to be like them. Or do what they did with our own spin. It's totally cool. The more you wrestle, the longer you become a vet, it'll dissipate and you won't react this way to other legends. You'll still be a mark, as we all are to an extent, but you won't react the way to people the way you are to us now."
"Yeah girl, don't even worry about it. Mainstream fans knew that I was a model, but the hardcore fans knew it wasn't just a pinup, Victoria's Secret sort of thing," Patricia remarked agreeing with Amy before beginning her story. "I was a fitness model, but I was always a wrestling fan. In between university and modeling, I used to co-host this show with a guy back home in Toronto. I guess it would be the equivalent of what you kids consider a podcast or whatever now."
Patricia continued, circling the room before settling at a window to catch the view outdoors.
"Anyway, we would review episodes of Raw is War and Pay Per Views. Austin was one my favorites. Once I was in the WWE about six or seven months and they put me in programs with the top guys: Triple H, Rocky, Angle, and Austin, I'd mark out a little before house shows. Most times when a program is about to begin with two people, the company has them work house shows with each other a few weeks before the angle starts on TV. So they can get their chemistry together. So it was great working with them. Austin and I even have the same birthday. Weird huh?"
"Me too," Shannon muttered before biting one of her fingernails.
"I'm sorry, what?" Patricia asked, turning away from the window.
"The birthday," Shannon confirmed to Patricia. "I share a birthday with you and Austin.
"No fucking way!" yelled Amy.
"December 18th right?" Shannon asked and the two older women remained silent, knowing it was. "Yeah. You, Austin, RVD, and me. I guess I got lucky," Shannon said with a smirk.
"Ha, that's incredible!" shouted Patricia before folding her arms and playfully nudging Amy with her shoulder. "Yeah Amy, she won't be a mark for long. She was born to do this, literally."
"Totally," Amy said smiling at Shannon before looking back at Patricia. "Hey, but she could totally use that shit to get over more, right Pat?"
"Definitely!" Patricia exclaimed.
"What do you guys mean?" Shannon asked.
"Even though Randy was in the company in '02," Amy began. "It wasn't until a year later when Hunter put him in Evolution that he started really getting over with the crowd."
"Right. In his promos, he talked about how being a champion was his 'destiny' because he was a third generation superstar. And if you remember at the height of Steph's character early on in '01-ironically the same year Hunter got hurt and I had a feud with her-was when she got the 'Billion Dollar Princess' nickname," Patricia explained to Shannon. "She'd talk about being a fourth generation McMahon, and how running the business was her 'birthright.' "
"Yeah, I remember that vividly," Shannon replied. "It was great stuff. I loved the role all of you played during that time. But what's that got to do with me?"
Amy started smiling. Patricia was her best friend. She knew where she was going with it.
"Well you're a hybrid of sorts," Patricia said, placing a hand on Shannon's shoulder, like Amy did minutes earlier. "No, you're not related to anyone in the wrestling world. Nor did you marry into it. But, you share a birthday with three iconic performers in our industry, which are all hall-of-famers! So for heat, you could cut some pretty heavy promos, claiming that greatness is also your birthright. You share a birthday with icons, champions, legends. It's not a matter of if, but when and for how long you're champion. Because you belonged here the day you came out of the womb!"
"Holy fucking shit," Shannon said looking down at the carpet after a long pause. "That's great! I love it! Lita, do you think if I pitch that to Hunter he'd go for it?"
"He might. I don't see why he wouldn't," said Amy as she shrugged her shoulders. "But if he doesn't, come find me, tell me what happened, and I'll try pitching it again to him. That's my job as your agent, bridging the gap between you two, and making what happens in the ring as smooth as possible."
"Sweet," said Shannon. She leaned forward, stretching her arms out, and hugged them both.
"Well I'm gonna show Pat some more things to check out and people to meet around the PC before we head over Full Sail when the show starts. C'mon Pat," Amy said as she headed for the door.
"See you later, little sister," said Patricia to Shannon. "I'm a fan." She winked at Shannon before following Amy out.
Totally fangirling out right now!
Later that evening, at Full Sail University in the NXT Arena
Patricia and Amy kicked off the first round of tapings promoting the new Attitude Era Invitational tournament Paul created. They went on describing great moments all of the ladies in the era had for a few nostalgic pops. They ended their speech by telling tell fans they became "bffs" after a long, heated rivalry; so they were looking forward to the women who were in the current tournament to "bring some sass, and kick some ass!"
After Patricia and Amy introduced the tournament to the NXT Universe and informed them that they will be crowning the winners at the next Takeover, there was a cut scene on the show where Shannon was in the trainers' room getting her hands and fingers taped up by the medical personnel on staff. Her hair was straightened and down. She hadn't yet put it in the ponytail, nor was she was wearing her signature hooded vest, but all other elements of her gear were on. The camera then zoomed out of the shot to reveal Becky Lynch standing behind Shannon. The crowd cheered. Shannon exhaled before turning to Becky with a look of disgust on her face.
"Easy there mate," said Becky who held a single hand up indicating to Shannon that she came in peace. "I'm not here to ask you 'What's the craic?' or to share a pint of Guinness."
"Whatever it is...I'm not interested," Shannon said and turned back to the trainers. Becky did not move.
"I know you heard about that Attitude Era Invitational tournament starting," Becky said talking to Shannon's back. "You haven't been around for donkey's years, but you seem to be a prize fighter. Wins are great for you, but even better if something's up for grabs. So I say we team up and take the damn thing. Whataya' say? Give out?" Becky asked, extending her hand even though Shannon couldn't see it.
The crowd cheered once more, not knowing what to expect from what may be an unusual alliance. There was another pause.
Shannon finally turned around a second time, and nearly chuckled at Becky's ridiculously quirky-looking goggles resting on her forehead, but held it together.
"I don't follow the pack," Shannon spoke. "I'm an Alpha Female. A Lone Wolf."
"Well think about it," Becky said pulling her hand back when Shannon didn't shake it. She exited the room, and Shannon stared ahead as the door closed.
"What the hell was that all about?" asked NXT commentator Corey Graves.
"More or less Corey," Tom Phillips, fellow NXT commentator, started. "Shannon basically told Becky, 'No deal.' I hope the 'Lass Kicker' finds a partner before the tournament begins."
April 20th, 2017
It was a day off for Shannon, and she just finished a workout. Bayley's boyfriend, Aaron, wasn't in town. Bayley was busy taping more episodes of NXT Kids, a show that aired on the WWE Network where kids ages seven to thirteen came to Full Sail, and interviewed NXT superstars and officials; but not the likes of interviews adults would conduct regarding feuds, title defenses, etc. These kids would ask children-oriented questions. Izzy, Bayley's superfan who attended every NXT taping and Takeover held at Full Sail, co-hosted the show with Bayley. Shannon was lonely and unoccupied.
Shannon decided to call Tyler. After the fourth ring, he answered.
"Hey Mark," said Tyler.
"Well finally Rockstar," said Shannon. "It's nice to know The Undertaker and his druids didn't come and just bury you alive at random. Where the hell have you been? You do still work here. I haven't seen you in a while."
"Hahaha, I can assure you I am nowhere near a cemetery," Tyler replied. "I'm in Phoenix."
"So the rumors are true?" Shannon asked with her happier tone, growing serious.
"Rumors? What rumors?" Tyler asked. "What am I being accused of doing?"
"Being promoted," she said simply. "That's what the dirt sheets say anyway."
"Not exactly. Orton dislocated his shoulder, so Hunter has me filling in at house shows due to his injury," Tyler clarified. "I haven't heard anything about being on TV, or if I'll be a permanent house show replacement for Randy. A few more folks should be due back from injury soon anyway."
"Oh," was all Shannon said. "Well I'll let you go then."
"Cheer up Mark," Tyler said picking up on the sadness in her voice. He thought she was just doing that mockingly, but perhaps not. "You're settled now. And you can always find another driving buddy."
But he was more than just a driving buddy. Wasn't he?
After hanging up the phone with Tyler, she received a text message from another friend. Once she read it, she knew just what would make her feel better.
"Dirty, sexy, slinky thing.
Power over all with the love you bring.
Spinning from your mind control..."
"And introducing his opponent, being accompanied to the ring by the Young Bucks! From Panama City, Florida, weighing in at 207 pounds, representing 'The Elite,' he is the current ROH World Heavyweight Champion, Adam Cole!"
"Baby, you won't leave me alone..."
As Adam Cole, Matt and Nick Jackson entered the venue, Adam mouthed the words to the chorus of his theme song.
"You are that one
That makes me scream and shout,
I've got something for you!"
Adam pointed to himself, raised four fingers, then pointed to the crowd. Seconds later, he smirked, then stopped after taking a few steps on the stage. Adam, and the Young Bucks squatted down and pointed their index fingers behind them. Momentarily, Shannon walked out and the crowd roared.
"Surprise!" Shouted Shannon to the crowd with her arms stretched wide as she came out, and the other men smiled. "It's a little wrinkled, but it still fits," she said referring to her black 'Elite Club' shirt as she feigned rubbing dust from her shoulders.
Ring of Honor had a live event in West Palm Beach and because she had the day off, decided to attend it. Paul didn't ban her from attending because it wasn't a Pay Per View or television taping, just a ROH house show. She figured he wouldn't mind because he granted Sami Zayn permission to make appearances for EVOLVE in 2015, where he competed as El Generico during his ROH career before getting the NXT call in 2013. Still, she informed him of where she was headed as common courtesy. People had smartphones, so he'd find out eventually if she declined to report her trip.
Shannon linked her arms with one of Matt's and one of Nick's as they followed Adam down the ramp and eventually to the ring. Rather than joining the crowd in a seat, she remained ringside with the Young Bucks, just taking a different side. Now when Paul allowed Sami Zayn to appear at EVOLVE, which the WWE began having somewhat of a recruitment talent exchange working arrangement, Sami merely cut a promo, and signed autographs following the conclusion of the show. He was not allowed to wrestle, nor was he featured on their live stream. The promo was cut for the audience in the live crowd before the stream started.
Adam was defending the title against the 6'7, 270 pound, Donovan Dijak. Dijak had just hit a moonsault on Adam. He was now signaling for his finishing move, "Feast Your Eyes," which was a reverse "Go to Sleep," when Shannon distracted the referee. This allowed the Young Bucks to grab Dijak's ankles and pull him out of the ring through the bottom rope. Shannon kept referee Bobby Cruise distracted long enough so Matt and Nick could execute the "Indy Taker," which was a springboard spiked piledriver to Dijak on the outside. Once the Young Bucks nailed it and pushed him back in the ring, Shannon walked away from the referee, so he could once again focus on the match.
Adam attempted a pin, but Dijak kicked out. So Shannon and the Bucks switched sides of the ring. And now it was Matt and Nick's turn to distract the referee. Adam kicked Dijak out of the ring, slid out, and grabbed Dijak in a front facelock position. He raised him high in the air as if he were delivering a vertical suplex in order to execute his suplex-neckbreaker to the knee. Adam had been using this maneuver as a new finisher for the past year. He'd still get wins with the "Florida Key" and "Figure Four" leglock, but this expanded the variety of his moveset. However, with the referee distracted still by Matt and Nick, instead of dropping Dijak on his own knee, Shannon lunged her right leg forward and Adam dropped Dijak on Shannon's quadricep. She helped Adam push Dijak back in, and the Young Bucks abandoned the referee. Adam got another two count; but collectively, 'The Elite Club' weakened Dijak enough for Adam to start nailing several signature maneuvers before eventually getting the submission victory.
Like Sami, Shannon didn't have a match here. And although she did get physical, it was very minimal, with a small spot. She was confident she wouldn't be reprimanded for it. And if she was, well, she'd just deal with it then.
Following the match, Adam exited the ring with his championship. Shannon hopped on the center of the ring apron. Matt and Nick joined her on the left and right side, kissing her cheeks. Adam squatted down with a smirk kneeling between her legs, while she smiled holding her hands up doing the Wolf Pack gesture proudly. This wasn't a foreign position for Adam. A month into her joining 'The Elite Club' faction, she slept with him twice. It was more of a friends with benefits situation. It wasn't that either of them were against a relationship, but the timing was way too fresh on exploring that possibility. They felt more like buddies who were as close as siblings, but just happened to take advantage of a mutually beneficial moment on two occasions. And soon after, she was fired.
A Few Hours Later
New tweet from user: AtROHFan4Ever:
"What in the hell was AtSStormWWE doing with AtMattJacksonYB, AtNickJacksonYB, and AtAdamColePro at a AtROHWrestling live event?"
Shannon responded.
AtSStormWWE: "Hey AtROHFan4Ever, The promotions will come and go. But bonds are forever. #EliteClub"
Adam immediately retweeted Shannon's reply, and then gave one of his own.
New tweet from user: AtAdamColePro:
"Always, AtSStormWWE! :) Many are mediocre. Few are excellent. Even rarer, are #TheElite."
Matt and Nick retweeted each of their fellow stable mates' replies, then commented on each of their posts:
"AtAdamColePro & AtSStormWWE, We aren't just elite, but too damn sweet," remembering what Shannon said on ROH TV during one of the last times they were all together.
Author's Notes: For anyone wondering, Shannon's mentioning of sharing a birthday with RVD, Trish, and Stone Cold wasn't just a creative decision on my part, but an absolute shoot. I do in fact share the same birthday with these legends, which I find pretty damn special and amazing.
Additionally, the "Wrestlemania: The Album" CD that Bayley and Shannon were cracking up so hard on was also real. I've had that CD for over two decades and to this day, it still makes me laugh. I find it ironic that the Bret Hart song is like the only one that skips the most recent times I've played it.
Also, just like I did last week, being the Kliq Chick I am, there are more birthday wishes to be spread. Today, July 22nd, I'm wishing a very happy birthday to "The Icon, The Showstopper, The Main Event, Mr. Wrestlemania, The Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels. And because my next update will be after it's happened, I'm wishing a future happy birthday to my favorite wrestler of all time: "The Monarch of The Mat, The Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings, The Game," Triple H, who will be celebrating on July 27th. So will "The Showoff" Dolph Ziggler.
For anyone missing in-ring action (even though you got some in Chapter 19), don't worry. Trust me, I've got you. It'll make it's way back around eventually, and hopefully it'll be fun for you, especially you spanky1988 . awj. Chaka1967, and McMahon-Levesque: You ladies absolutely crack me up in your reviews, and the next update I presume, will address your "pressing" concern.