July 3rd, 2017

Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska

Monday Night Raw

Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, and John Cena were doing a good job at planting the seeds at this month's Battleground Pay Per View for a triple threat title defense of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. For Tyler's debut, he attacked champion Dolph Ziggler, following Ziggler's intentional disqualification when he hit Cena in the head with the championship. John Cena wanted a rematch against Ziggler. Ziggler tried denying him of it, but defeated him and retained the championship at the Money In The Bank Pay Per View a few weeks ago. Tyler wanted Ziggler, claiming his failure to defeat John Cena on the night he debuted on Raw "didn't even come close to the embarrassment of potentially losing to a more athletic, and handsomely-superior superstar" such as himself. The comment pissed Ziggler off and the two men had a non-title match on Tyler's second Monday Night Raw. In the weeks that followed, Ziggler, Cena, and Tyler interfered in each other's matches in some capacity, whether it be distracting each other, or physically provoking someone.

Tonight Tyler faced Cena and won via disqualification when Tyler grabbed his selfie stick, aiming for Cena, but ended up nailing Ziggler on the outside. Cena, who already received a signature move from Tyler was wobbly, but had enough wherewithal to grab the selfie stick. When he did, Tyler took a flop as the referee finally turned around from encouraging Ziggler to leave ringside. It was the type of infamous heel trickery made notorious by the late WWE Hall of Famer, Eddie Guerrero. The referee wasn't aware that Tyler was pretending to be drilled by Cena's use of the stick. So when he saw Tyler laid out, and the stick still in Cena's hands, he called for the bell.

Shannon watched Raw and saw Tyler hit both the Beauty Shot kick and arm trapped backbreaker earlier in the match. Once his music played, she noticed he was a bit delayed in the celebration, when retrieving his stick to take more selfies. After the show, she texted him.

Me: Hey you. Good match, the win was even sweeter...by DQ, but we'll take it. You looked a little weird post match. You okay Rockstar?

Ty: Hey. Thanks, Mark. No, I'm not okay in the sense that I'm getting an operation done soon. But yes, I am okay in the sense that it's a simple operation that doesn't require me to see 'the God of WWE' in Birmingham. Also known as Dr. James Andrews."

Tyler didn't text back as quickly as he did before, and Shannon didn't know if someone backstage at Raw grabbed his attention. Just when she was about to put her phone away, her screen lit up indicating an invitation to a video call. She accepted.

"Babe, when are you going to get an iPhone like the rest of the civilized people in the world?" Tyler asked through the screen. "Making me download a special app just to connect to you is real work."

"I like Samsung," Shannon said with a smile. "I'm Team Android. I've never been an Apple girl."

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," he replied.

"So I've been told," Shannon said with a nod. "So what's up? What happened?"

"After I did the backbreaker, something went crazy in my right knee," Tyler responded as the phone moved a little when he pointed to his knee. "I didn't feel a pop or a tear, but it got really stiff and prevented me from being fluid in the ring. That's why my Beauty Shot didn't look as good. Docs say it's probably backed up cartilage or something, so I'm getting arthroscopy knee surgery done."

"Oh, ok," Shannon said with a sigh of relief. "It could've been a lot worse: MCL, ACL, both, or something else."

"Yeah. If it was MCL, that would've been three months out, ACL six months, if it was both then nine, like Hunter's quad," Tyler remarked, explaining the longevity of recuperation time. "The scope is a quick and common operation that's been done before. Hunter's had his knee scoped in '98. And Andrews fixed his MCL the same year, then quad three years after that. Big Show's had his knee scoped in '09."

"In other words, it's not serious and you'll be fine," said Shannon, who remained upbeat. "So if you're not going to Birmingham, are you staying in Omaha to get it done there?"

"Nope," Tyler reassured her, shaking his head. "Again, arthroscopic surgery's common and not serious, so I could really get it done anywhere. I'll be in Orlando Wednesday to get it done. Tomorrow at the Smackdown tapings, I'm doing a segment where out of frustration, I'm going on an 'indefinite hiatus to regroup and return more strategic.' I'll be out of surgery in a hour, hour and a half tops. It's a six week recovery period to get back in the ring. And it gives me an excuse to see you. I miss you Mark."

"Even though absence makes the heart grow fonder, I miss you too," Shannon said with a chuckle. But he didn't return her laugh.

"It just sucks," said Tyler who undid his hair tie and sighed heavily. "This just fucking sucks!"

"What does?" She asked sincerely.

"The timing of it Mark," Tyler said leaning his head backward against the wall while sitting on one of the production crates. "I've been in developmental too long to have my first run on the main roster short-lived. Especially when it's short lived not creatively, but with an injury."

"Well for starters, it's not an injury, but an inconvenience," Shannon replied trying to comfort him. "You're not hurt. Staff just advised you to get your knee scoped as a precaution so nothing worse happens as a result of wrestling through that lingering issue. And because you're not stupid or stubborn, you're doing it. The longevity of your career will thank you later."

"I'm not looking at it like that though. I mean, it's a blessing," said Tyler who massaged his temple with his left index finger since the right hand was holding his phone. "Yes, I should be grateful that it's not more severe, but still."

Tyler placed his hand not holding the phone on his chest. "Baby, you know how I feel about you, and I mean what I'm about to say with the utmost respect. You're not here yet. As great as NXT is, when you walk through a main roster curtain and the audience who watches NXT, or an NXT live tour has come to their town before recognizes you on the big stage, it's such a great feeling!"

"I can only imagine," Shannon replied as she slowly brushed her eyebrows with the thumb on her hand not holding the phone. She wasn't offended by what he said because he was correct. She understood his passionate sentiment. "As gutted as you are, don't let the frustration consume you. Look, you're the only one from NXT that didn't win the NXT Championship, but got promoted to the main roster anyway. You were put in a world title program for your debut! That means something! That means Hunter believes in you and what you can contribute to the roster. So you're going to get your knee scoped, kick ass in rehab, and get back out there to do your thing. Because it'll only get better from here."

"How the hell does it get better when I'm starting with a world title program?" Tyler asked with a hybrid mix of sarcasm and frustration. But that was okay because she knew how to get her man's spirits back up.

Shannon laughed. "Because maybe next time, you'll be booked to actually win the world title at the end of the feud," she replied with a wink.

"I wish I could kiss you right now," he said with a smile.

"Time heals a broken heart," she said simply, happy that he was feeling better. Since they were on a video call, there was no need for an emoji. She physically stuck her tongue out at him.

"What's up with you tonight with all of the proverbs and phrases of wisdom?" he questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Text me the appointment details, and let me know when you're on your way back to your place."

"Alright, will do," he nodded again in response. "I love you."

"I know you do," said Shannon.

When they ended the call, Ryan Reeves, who performed as "Ryback" walked down the hallway whistling. Tyler told the boys he was seeing someone in the business, but didn't acknowledge whether they were in the WWE or some other company. They didn't know if she wrestled, was a valet, referee, announcer, or had a behind the scenes role of some kind. Sometimes it was best to keep the extent of your relationship with as most discretion as possible, especially if it was a fresh one. So many real life couples in the wrestling world came and went when too many details were shared, and the locker room acted like high school teens chomping at the bit for gossip. Ryback only heard the conclusion of the call and on his way passing Tyler, he teased him.

"Mattias and some chick sitting in a tree. And he is W-H-I-P-P-E-D!"

"At least I'm wanted by a woman instead of Bowflex, big guy," Tyler retorted referring to an actual brand name of dumbbells.

Ryback turned around and squeezed his dick at Tyler. It wasn't meant as a physical gay slur. It was Ryback's way of saying, "Fuck You."

"Airhead," said Tyler after shaking his head and getting up to exit the building.

Wednesday, July 5th, 2017

8:00 AM

Today Tyler would have his arthroscopy operation done this morning. He would be in Florida for six weeks before rejoining the main roster back on the road again. After listening to the Destiny's Child song, "Cater 2 U," Shannon wanted to surprise him with a little bit of pampering during his arrival. So she headed to the Whole Foods supermarket to pick him up some groceries. But while she was there, she ended up grabbing two shopping carts, buying items for the both of them.

Shannon bought three gallons of 2% milk. Two were for Tyler, and one was for herself. There were four dozens of eggs, which they'd each have two a piece. Tyler preferred the brown ones, but she didn't care. He mentioned something to her about the brown ones having double yolks in a conversation from the past. But Shannon thought eggs were eggs. As long as they continued to be an excellent, multi-use protein, that was all that was important to her. She picked up a few loaves of whole grain oat and bran bread, two canisters of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, and several cases of bottled water. Like their eggs, their cheese preferences varied in the carts too. She liked Provolone and Cheddar. He liked Asiago and Swiss. Their fresh produce included coconuts, pineapples, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, broccoli, okra, asparagus, kale, spinach, beansprouts, tomatoes, quinoa, granola, bell peppers, green and red onions, and lentils.

As she passed by other beverages in an aisle, she smiled when she saw a stack of "Honest Tea" bottles. Honest Tea was a company in Bethesda, Maryland started by two friends who loved all kinds of organic and herbal teas, but found many companies in the bottled tea industry's products were too sweet. So the owners started ordering various tea leaves across the world, brewing them in their own facility. They provided a product that they monikered, "just a tad sweet," infusing a limited amount of sugar in their brew. Even though she didn't create her Twitter account until this year under Paul's request, she would periodically snoop on other wrestlers' pages before she had her own. She saw Zack Ryder in 2012 post a picture of a case at his house, and from there knew he ordered various flavors from Honest Tea on a regular basis.

Once she signed to the WWE and made her Twitter profile, she sent him a direct message informing him that the company would give her a discount when she ordered in bulk since Honest Tea's headquarters were in her home state. Therefore if Zack wanted, whenever his supply was low, he could just tell her what he wanted ordered, and she'd get it for him for a fraction of the price. She'd just have the delivery address be sent to where he lived in Long Island, New York. He agreed, and he'd always reimburse her via Pay Pal transaction as soon as she forwarded him the email with the tracking information confirming that the order was on the way.

When she made it to the meat and poultry section, she stocked up big time, grabbing six types of fish including Tilapia, Salmon, Cod, Tuna, Croaker, and Halibut. Shannon also placed ground turkey, various cuts of boneless and skinless chicken, as well as various cuts of lean, beef steak in their carts. It wasn't that pork was never eaten by the couple. It was just a rare occurrence. Usually if Tyler was around and he'd whip up a bowl of chili, he'd mix ground pork sausage in his stock before cooking the chuck, beans, and spices together. Sure, most people consumed chilli in the colder months, particularly the winter. But Tyler wasn't the type of person that allowed a season or period of the year dictate his eating habits.

When Shannon made it to check out, the store clerk lifted his chin and peered at the plethora of items in the carts. He shook his head before speaking to her.

"Damn gal, do you just have one hell of an appetite, or are you feeding a soup kitchen?" he asked with a bit of wit.

"I'm a pro-wrestler," said Shannon. "The body's a machine. I have to refuel and replenish mine regularly."

"Pro-wresla, huh?" The bald, Latin clerk with a soul patch on his chin, quickly questioned back with an accent on the word "wrestler." "Where people squabble around in their tightie-whities, mamacíta? Why don't you become a real athlete?"

"Because they don't work 300 nights a year like I plan on doing," Shannon snapped. She wasn't trying to bash any other athlete directly. But because this dude was being disrespectful undermining what she did, she was going to defend her brothers and sisters of the squared circle.

"But isn't that the fake shit?" he asked, folding his arms up with a grimace on his face.

"Yeah, it's the fake shit with real people breaking and tearing real bones and muscles for the people willing to spend money to see them," Shannon said in irritation, not exactly in the mood to explain the differences between pre-determined and fake, or worked versus shoot style, certainly not to someone who was this close minded. Everyday they stepped in the ring was a real risk, but they all knew that going in. You tried your best to protect each other day in and day out; but even then, as with all contact sports, it had its limitations. Immunity was something non-existent when it came to injuries. They happened to everyone, and could occur at anytime. It was the nature of the beast. You just loved what you loved.

She continued. "Look sir, I'm not your supervisor, which means it's not my place to evaluate how you do your job. So I expect you to show the same sentiment of respect to mine."

The clerk nodded, embarrassed that he was put in his place in front of the many customers behind Shannon. They witnessed him manipulate an opportunity of small talk into a personal jab, holding them all up in line in the process. He scrunched his face up one more time, and rolled his eyes before beginning to bag up Shannon and Tyler's groceries.

"Could you double those bags for me please?" Shannon politely asked after the clerk packed them away for the first time. "I'm at the far end of the parking lot. I wouldn't want them to tear and be all over the place as I'm walking over to my car. And I know there's a stopping point where the wheels of your cart won't move beyond a certain line outside."

The clerk did not do as Shannon requested. He simply tossed a few of the heavy paper bags at her face.

Shannon thought he did that on purpose to be rude.

As she lifted the bags by their handles and politely thanked him for his service anyway, he mumbled something while she walked off towards the exit of the supermarket. "¡No Mirá el WWE!"

Shannon paused mid-stride, clinging several groceries to her chest tightly, with a few others on the floor, near her feet, before turning around and responding.

"I'm glad. Wouldn't want any unappreciative assholes like you tarnishing our product."

"Get the hell out of my store with your phony fighting!" The clerk yelled after realizing Shannon knew what he said, which was that he "didn't watch the WWE anyway."

"That pretend fighting attracted Hollywood to D'Wayne," Shannon responded with a sneer. "And he became highest paid action film star every since. His checks never bounced in Los Angeles or Stamford!"

Shannon wasn't going to let that guy ruin her day. She didn't know if Tyler was in need of protein powder or any other nutritional supplements. So she was going to make another stop after loading her car with everything to the nearest health store to grab a few more items. Before Shannon did that, she quickly opened up the PDF that she always kept on her smartphone to review the latest updates to the WWE's list of banned substances in the Wellness Policy. For other sports to bash what WWE Superstars did on a regular basis, no other sports entity had as thorough of a Wellness Policy that the WWE had. There were substances banned in the WWE that weren't even banned in the NFL, MLB, NHL, or NBA for example. Not every superstar who received a suspension received one for taking a steroid shot or possessing marijuana. Many of them could have been caught taking a supplement that was accepted a decade ago, but was no longer approved. Even though all the talent were expected to be responsible, to be completely fair, it wasn't about them all doing anything intentionally egregious. Some were just negligent to remain informed. Shannon, being straight edge, tried her best to stay on top of it.

Same day, 11:00 AM

Shannon showed up at the University of Central Florida Medical Center to see Tyler. After she purchased their groceries and went to the nutritional store, she packed hers away at her apartment, but left Tyler's in her car. She had the air conditioning running, and wouldn't be long. She sent him a text message. After ten minutes without receiving a response back, Shannon went to the reception desk of the Orthopedics wing of the hospital to retrieve a visitor's pass.

Tyler's surgery was a success, and he was currently in the recovery period, where he was supposed to be resting for an hour. But he heard a loud beep that startled his sleep. Moments later, there was a gentle tap on his door, and Shannon walked in.

"Well that was certainly stupid of me to expect a text back from you given that your phone is all the way over there," Shannon said with a smile as she pointed to the other side of the room before closing the door behind her. She walked over to him, and gently pecked his lips.

He chuckled through their embrace. "Yeah, that's part of the reason," he replied. "The other part is because I was supposed to be resting. But you put an end to that with the buzzing. The noise was bothering me, and I wanted it to stop. You know how it is when you get a text or voicemail notification on phones. Until you open it, they keep making noise. Then I woke up from my slumber, realizing I couldn't exactly spring up to shut it off."

"That's on me. I'm sorry for being a dumbass," Shannon said as she stared sincerely at his blue eyes before leaning over his bed for another quick peck. She pulled away, but he grabbed her to extend the lip lock. After a few seconds, she gave in to his desires, and when she pulled away the second time, they did so together. "You were going to be woken up in 45 minutes or so by a nurse anyway. I checked the chart. So how are you?"

"Better now that you're here," Tyler replied reaching for her hand and she gladly allowed him to take it, before slowly sitting on the edge of his bed. He started rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. "Where's Deano? Hunter said he'd see to it that he would drive me back to my place, with me being loopy and all."

"I have a confession to make," Shannon paused before biting her bottom lip and squinting her eyes. "I saw Malenko in the hallway when I got off the elevator and...kind of sent him away. I'm your cabbie today. I did some food shopping for you too that's in my car. I wasn't sure if your cabinets were bare. But since you're here for six weeks, I figured I'd give you a head start on groceries if needed."

"What a thoughtful and sexy surprise to wake up to," Tyler said with a wink. "Given I have no clue what you bought, or how serious it needs to be refrigerated to avoid spoiling, you need to do something to perk me up and shake the anesthesia out of me. Then we can hurry back to your car." He began to rub the pelvic region of his gown. "And I think you know what it is," he added with a smirk.

"Two words?" Shannon asked, holding up two fingers as she stared at his crotch.

"Suck it Mark," he happily replied with a nod.

"Technically, that's three," she said through a laugh as she slowly raised his hospital gown up and reached for the waistband of his boxers to pull down. "I better be getting a pleasurebomb from you at some point during your mini vacation."

"Of course," Tyler said through a groan when her mouth made contact with the head of his member. "You know I'm a generous lover."

Still on July 5th, 2017

Later that night

NXT TV

Bayley was taking on Leah Van Dale, known to the WWE Universe as "Carmella." Carmella was not an independent wrestler with a wealth of experience in the ring as some of the other talents were. The Worcester, Massachusetts native who signed in 2013, in addition to being a fitness trainer, was a cheerleader for the NFL's New England Patriots, and a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers dance team. Her tie to professional wrestling was that her father Paul Van Dale wrestled independently, and was a regular jobber in the WWE in the 1990s. Though in real life she was from New England, since receiving her ring name and her association with Enzo Amore and her real life boyfriend, Colin Cassady, she was billed from Staten Island, New York. Their match was currently in progress.

"Atomic drop by Carmella. She's got Bayley reeling," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "She heads for the ropes...but so does Bayley on the opposite end...double clotheslin...no! Carmella counters with a very nice STO!"

"But Bayley kicks out at 2 from referee, Eddie Orengo," said fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves. "You know Shannon, even though you were introduced by Eden prior to joining us here for commentary minutes ago, allow me to formally welcome you to the broadcast booth."

"Thank you very much Corey. I certainly appreciate being appreciated," said Shannon. "Whether it's in the ring, on commentary, or even if they needed me to hold the camera up in case that goof over there holding the third one-who looks out of shape-arms get tired. It's like Shannon Storm is a jack of all trades around this place."

"Could the 'Diamond Diva'-that is what you're calling yourself nowadays right-be any more cocky?" asked Phillips as he looked on to Bayley and Carmella, who continued to battle back, trading blows.

"First of all Tommy," Shannon snapped. " 'The Diamond Diva' is not what I'm calling myself. It's who I am! I am the diamond of this women's division. I am a walking standard! Second, pay attention: the song says, 'it ain't bragging if you back it up!' The last time I was in the ring, I won the Attitude Era Invitational! You need to understand something when you're in my presence: I'm not cocky. I'm confident. So when you tell me I'm the best, it's a compliment!"

"Whoah, I think she told you Tom!" Graves said excitedly in admiration of Shannon. "Bayley, making it up slowly on her knee, but ooh, Carmella with a dropkick to Bayley's legs, trying to keep her down...Carmella takes to the ropes again...possible boot to Bayley's head...no! Bayley catches her with a nice lowered exploder suplex!"

"Bayley trying to hook the legs, but doesn't get a strong grip," said Phillips. "And Carmella traps her legs for a crucifix pin of her own...kick out at 1! Look at Bayley, in a need to regroup, but still aware of what's happening around her to quickly kick out!"

The match continued for another seven and a half minutes.

"Shannon, I'm no genius, but I'm observant enough to know this isn't just any contest you're out here in the broadcast booth spectating with us," said Graves as he turned towards Shannon, who was in a seat between the men. "You've come out during a match with Bayley specifically. What's going on between you women?"

"Well Corey as of right now, not a damn thing is going on between Bayley and myself as I sit here doing commentary with you guys. Despite how much crap the NXT Universe wants to talk about me distracting Bayley for her lost last week," said Shannon, very much in character starting a tirade. "I'm out here firstly, because I have a right to be. And secondly, because Bayley, this audience, the locker room, and the world at large needs to be taught a lesson. Shannon Storm doesn't play to the crowd's affection like Bayley seems to love to do. I don't live off past glory like Trish and Lita. I don't leech off family lineage like Natayla Hart, Randy Orton, and many others in this business. I'm doing this on my own, and I'm doing this for me!"

"Carmella's got her legs across Bayley's neck...possibly going to nail her 'Code of Silence' head scissors," Phillips said as he leaned forward at the table pressing his hands against it. "Bayley blocks it with a punch to the back, and Carmella bends over grabbing Bayley's legs...is she going to try to pull her down? No...Bayley with the sunset flip into the powerbomb on Carmella!"

Bayley didn't cover but crawled over to an opposite corner, using the rope to pull herself up, and tapped the top turnbuckle pad, psyching the fans up, and making them cheer.

"See this is exactly what I'm talking about," Shannon said in frustration as she pointed her manicured hand towards the ring. "If you're going to hit the 'Belly to Bayley,' then just freaking do it! Screw the audience! I don't care about Izzy. I don't care about Little Jimmy. I am so sick of this pacified, 'everyone gets a trophy' way of thinking in society! It's not realistic. Some people do suck. Like 'Macho Man' Randy Savage said, 'it is what it is.' Everyone is not a winner. Once upon a time, if you wanted something in life, you made a plan and executed! You didn't whine your way to get ahead like John Cena did for his 15 World Championships. Or pamper people's-in this case small children's-behinds!"

Carmella charged into the corner towards Bayley, and she received two Belly to Bayley suplexes. The first was right into the corner, and the second was in the center of the ring for the victory.

Friday, July 7th, 2017

Afternoon

Shannon came to Tyler's place after leaving the Performance Center for more Tough Enough work in the morning. Even though the taped episodes aired Tuesday evenings on the USA Network, and the live voting occurred the last five minutes of the episode with results airing across the WWE Tough Enough App, there were many things done for the show throughout the week. From special challenges, to producers trying to instigate storylines within the competition itself, in addition to the traditional cardio and wrestling training that was recorded. These were all a part of the show's preparation.

Shannon left the island of his kitchen area carrying two plates. Tyler kept to his word about ordering a massive quantity of the flavored sparkling waters, once it was determined which were her favorite flavors following their first date. In between her armpits were a Peppermint Sparkling Water for herself and a "Mike's Hard Lemonade" she pulled from his fridge for Tyler. He drank, but he wasn't a total lush. "Mike's Hard Lemonade" was a mixture of vodka, natural flavors, and carbonated water. She joined him in the living room on the couch and he placed the plates on the end table, before pressing the appropriate button on the remote to the television screen.

"You know the only caveat to going to rehab everyday, twice a day this coming Monday, is that you won't continue to pamper me like this," Tyler said with a smirk. "I'm not even hurt, but seeing you play nurse is something I could totally get used to." Tyler cupped her face in his hands, leaned forward, and kissed her. Initially, he was just toying with her, exchanging pecks. But seeing her literally play up the catering to him: wrapping up his knee, giving it the proper elevation, and cooking for him-all while wearing a baby blue scrubs set with matching Crocs-compelled him to get more aggressive in their kiss. He sucked and nibbled at her bottom lip even longer as his tongue explored hers, before letting go.

After breaking a part to catch their breath, she spoke. "When your father's a physician at a world renowned hospital, keeping a thorough head count of the stethoscopes and scrubs isn't exactly a big priority. I doubt they noticed me stealing a few over the years. And even if they did, oh well. I'm here now."

They both laughed and began to dig into their sandwiches Shannon prepared for them.

"Mark, what is this?" He asked. "I want to say it's a salmon burger, but then it tastes like there's something else in there. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's another protein. It's delicious though."

"It's crab," Shannon said with a smile. "It's something new I'm trying, and you were my lovely guinea pig of choice. The coastal states love their seafood. Maine loves their lobster. New England in general loves their clams. In Maryland, where I'm from, we love the blue crab. I like salmon burgers and crabcakes. This little concoction was my homage to them both. I grounded some salmon, mixed it with jumbo, lump, crab meat, and made a hybrid patty of sorts. But I hooked us up with great toppings: sliced roma tomatoes, Boston bed lettuce, our preferred cheeses, and I remembered your spicy Mayo recipe from our first date. I don't think you'd miss having beef. From the spice blend, to providing a double punch of seafood proteins, you'd be satisfied. That was the goal anyway. Hey, even as a treat, look how nice I was giving us pretzel buns, instead of a lighter grain!"

"Those aren't the only buns that I like to see," Tyler said as she smacked Shannon's ass when she bent over to grab her bottle of Peppermint Water from her side of the end table.

Twenty Minutes Later

Shannon and Tyler finished their sandwiches, and the movie they were watching on television was well underway. This movie wasn't anything special, but one of the stars in it was.

"So we find out the kid from Kazam used his third wish for Kazam to create a female genie for his girl cousin-who we were never introduced to in the first movie by the way-and for this sequel, it's Rousey?" asked Shannon as she grinned, not in enjoyment, but in disbelief of the plot. "Man, this movie sucks! Look at her: she doesn't even look happy granting this little girl's wishes. Why would she even sign up for this role if she didn't like the script?"

"I can't argue with that. This movie leaves more to be desired, and it doesn't help that she looks absolutely miserable doing it. What genie grunts and snorts at little kids? But as long as the checks clear, I guess it's all good," Tyler said after a chuckle. "You know it must really suck if they're not even airing it on a popular cable channel. How many people really tune in to WGN America on a regular basis? I only casually browse it here and there because we used to air Superstars on it."

"I don't know what's worse: knowing I can't escape her even in crappy movies, or those chants for her during Raws a few months after she left," Shannon said only half-joking. "At least they've stopped though."

Tyler changed the channel, not that he cared what was on, but because the both of them really weren't digging Ronda Rousey's movie.

"People like her though," he said. "They like you too-you know in the way they're supposed to like you-which is hating you," he added playfully pinching her cheek. "If she ever comes back, you'll cross paths, trust me. And that's not a bad thing. You'll each benefit from it."

Shannon didn't say anything. She just glared at him. Still having the floor, he continued his explanation, hoping she'd understand his point, even if she didn't agree with it.

"Look at it like this: Orton was going to be a star whether people in the locker room liked it or not. He was a third generation guy, fit the typical size mold that Vince prefers, and was further groomed by your boy. Now, had he been more mature, and didn't have so many Wellness Policy violations, maybe Vince would have preferred him as his number one over John Cena from that 2002 group. Cody could've been another one years later, but it's in my opinion that he didn't have a fair crack because he was smaller than McMahon would have liked, and he had heat with his father from the '80s. So much so that he tried to bury Dusty when he came to the then WWF, putting him in those bright ass yellow and black polka dot tights. Only it bit Vince in the ass because people loved Dusty Rhodes. He made that shit work during that run."

"Yeah, I loved 'The American Dream' too," she finally spoke. "The 'son of a plumber' had nice promo chemistry with Flair."

"And I'll give you an example you'll actually care more about," said Tyler who pointed at her with a single finger and smirked. "I'm pretty sure Hunter was pissed late '98 into the spring of '99 with Austin and Rocky. Not to the point where he'd put a bounty on their heads, but a professional jealousy. He knew he had just as much-arguably more-talent, passion, will, and commitment as those two guys. He felt that he was more than capable to help them carry the company through its next phase. But what happened? Did he quit, or bitch every minute?"

I'm sure the world thinks so.

"No he didn't. He stayed the course. He fought like hell against management, including Vince himself, to turn heel when they wanted him to stay the number two babyface. Why? Because he enjoyed working heel more, was passionate about it, and thought he would be great at it. And in a few months time, he was right. That summer he became 'The Man,' the crowd turned Rocky back to being a babyface, and as the top villain of the company, he was able to work with the both of them. He continued to bust his ass, and unapologetically told people how he felt about the situation along the way. The WWF would've been totally fucked between 1999 through 2001 with Austin gone for an entire year for his neck, Undertaker being on the shelf for a while, and Rocky off to film The Mummy Returns, then his spinoff The Scorpion King without him. As huge as Rocky was in 2000, he needed Hunter as top villain to help carry the brand into further popularity. And that was the Attitude Era's most profitable year ever! Were Jericho and Angle around? Absolutely. They weren't quite ready to be top guys yet, but were well on their way to contributing."

She still was silent, but according to Tyler, she appeared to be getting it. So it was time to hammer the point home.

"When the ball was finally given to Hunter, he took that shit and ran with it! The same could happen with you and Ronda. Regardless of how you feel about her, you have to accept the fact that for whatever reason, she's over. If you're hell bent on being thee top heel one day in the women's division-and baby, you're completely capable of doing that-you're going to need Ronda. Should she return, on arrival, she'd be the top face of the women. But that's what would be necessary to solidify your status as a top heel and major player in the future of the WWE. Just like Hunter, your time will come, babe."

Tyler pulled Shannon close to him and kissed her forehead.

Wednesday, July 12th, 2017

NXT TV

"Thank you very much for joining us on commentary Bayley," said NXT Commentator Tom Phillips. "We had Shannon Storm join us at the table last week. So it's only fair that you sit alongside us now."

"Life isn't fair," fellow NXT Commentator Corey Graves scoffed to Phillips. "Why do we have to be here?"

Phillips ignored Graves.

"I'm excited to be here Tom," said Bayley with a smile.

"Shannon and Emma have been going at it for a few minutes now, and it appears they're going to press the reset button," said Graves. "Back to another collar and elbow tie up...Shannon with the go behind connects with a waistlock...Emma now with a nice snapmare takeover, follows up with a kick to Shannon's spine."

"Bayley, I do offer my apologies to your second place finish in the Attitude Era Invitational," said Phillips. "You and Asuka had a very strong showing. Honestly, the victory could've gone to anyone."

"Second place finish?" Graves asked in bewilderment. "There are no runner ups! She and Asuka failed! It's as simple as that. Nice tiltawhirl backbreaker by Storm on Emma, but a kickout at 2 and a half!"

"I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I didn't hear what you said Corey," Bayley began, still with her headset on, turning to him. "Because you're right. Asuka and I weren't victorious, but you know what? We gave everything we had, and wouldn't change a thing."

"Shannon with the Russian Leg Swe...no, Emma with a leg whip of her own, causes Shannon to stumble backwards...and she's got her legs caught the ropes! 'Dil-Emma'...that Boston Crab in between the ropes!" Yelled Phillips.

"1, 2, 3, 4," called referee Drake Wuertz. "Alright Emma, let her out," he added, noting although wrestlers like Tajiri, who have submissions that utilized the ropes such as "The Tarantula," you could not get a victory with them because the opponent clearly had a rope break.

Emma released the hold, and Shannon flopped to her knees, rubbing her calf and hamstrings, selling the impact of the maneuver on her legs as she crawled away from Emma, trying to get some distance.

"Do you and Shannon have some sort of issue Bayley? I mean, she came to see your match in person two weeks ago, which you were also unsuccessful in against Ember Moon," Graves spoke in a cunning fashion, poking the bear. "And let's not avoid the elephant in the room. Last month at Takeover, not only did you lose, but Shannon went on a rampage, taking everyone involved in the match out, including the freaking women presenting the prize trophy!"

"I don't know what Shannon's deal is," Bayley replied shaking her head. "I don't have any resentment to her. I find her to be a talented individual, who could really benefit from having a better outlook on life. I heard what she said in that interview with JoJo about me being on her radar next, and me treating things like fairytales. And that's where the buck stops because she'd be absolutely wrong! Everything about me is authentic! I'm no fantasy. I'm living the real thing. This is what I wanted to do since I was a nine year old girl! I'm a life long fan! I love everything about NXT. This building, these fans, are my world! I'm not going to apologize for enjoying what I do for the people that support me."

"Shannon just cockily bouncing on the top turnbuckle, edging Emma on to get up," said Phillips, who smiled at Bayley's response to Corey's pandering moments ago. "Is she going for a dive? No! Emma pushes the ropes, causing Shannon's backside to fall comfortably on the pad...before Shannon gets a good rest, nails a beautiful, rolling wheel kick, and Shannon falls down."

"Emma, grabbing Shannon with one hand on her tights, the other in her hair as she sets her back on her knees," Graves started. "Short arm clothesli...rejected! Shannon counters with a nasty hip toss to Emma into the other corner of the turnbuckles. She quickly pulls her out of the corner, covering both legs. 1...2...kickout!"

Shannon lifted Emma up, and placed her in a seated position on the top turnbuckle pad. The people thought Shannon was setting up for the Perfect Storm, the alternate finisher she debuted for NXT during the qualifying round of the Attitude Era Invitational Tournament. But no, she wasn't going to do that. She had something else in mind.

"Hey Emma," Shannon taunted the dazed Emma, who dangled her head periodically selling. "Suck it!" Shannon pointed to her pelvis before running towards Emma and jumping crotch first in her face. But Emma tossed her over.

"Whoah! It seems like Shannon was feeling like a bit of a degenerate, going for what appeared to be a bronco buster-from a modified, running, leapfrog position-something I don't think we've seen before," Phillips started as he raised his eyebrows slowly, trying to explain to himself and the audience what he was watching once more in a replay. "But Emma back body dropped her over on the outside."

Okay, so I'm noticing a pattern that people like to get spots in with me when they toss me over head out of the ring. Candace did it to me on a stack of ladders. Pam did it on the steps. And now, Tenille did it, thankfully just on the outside mats this time. What do you bitches have against me? It's in good fun though. I love you all. People always did clotheslines spots on Trips where he'd backflip out the ring on one arm. He's a tough mofo. I'd always cringe when he did that spot, praying he didn't separate his shoulder in the process. I remember Trish did at Backlash '06 against Mickie. I called it as soon as she went over. I saw the bone sticking out. But she finished the match like a soldier.

The crowd started chanting, "Botcho-Buster" repeatedly.

Nope, you guys are wrong. We didn't botch anything. That's a spot. She was supposed to toss my ass before my pie hit her face. Nice try, folks. We knew.

As soon as referee Drake Wuertz heard the splatter of Shannon's body hitting the mats outside on the floor, he pivoted his head to the side. The audience thought he was going to check on Emma, but he wasn't. He was actually communicating with someone else.

"The referee's at 6!" Phillips shouted. "If she doesn't want to get counted out, she better get a move on!"

A second later, Becky crawled from underneath one side of the ring and grabbed Shannon's legs, before she firmly got a single knee on the ring apron to climb back to Emma.

"Becky Lynch! Becky Lynch! Where in the hell did she come from?" asked Corey Graves as he looked on at Becky mounting Shannon, relentlessly throwing shots at her face.

This is who the referee was communicating with. Whenever segments were done where something occurred under the ring-whether it be a chase, a Bella Twin switch, or someone being pulled through the ring by The Undertaker or Kane, there were cameras beneath it. Becky was chilling, lying on her stomach waiting for the key spot in Shannon's match. She was watching the same action as Graves, Phillips, and the referee. Once Shannon hit the floor, she came out.

"Corey, she's absolutely going to town on Shannon Storm!" yelled Tom Phillips.

"I guess that's it then?" Bayley asked, not knowing what to make of the chaos.

The referee called for the bell, and Shannon won by disqualification.

"Man, Becky just tossed Shannon into the ring post!" Graves shouted. "And Shannon tries to stumble away...But Becky chases after her, delivering a running double axe handle to her back, and Shannon collapses."

"Fuck man! I broke a nail, when I grabbed the ring post," Shannon mumbled to Becky as she crawled extra slow. "It took a long time for that particular one to grow!"

"Shut the fuck up and take your lass kicking like a big girl, before camera two sees your mouth moving," Becky replied under her wrist as she pretended to swipe sweat from her nose.

"You're right," Shannon said. "My fault." Shannon drove her leg backward, delivering a mule kick to Becky's abdomen. She tried getting away again, but a recovered Emma was on the other side, preventing the evasion.

"Aww man, shoulder first goes Shannon Storm into the steel steps!" screamed Graves. "Becky Lynch, what on earth is your problem? You need to calm the hell down!"

"The hell she does Corey!" Phillips defended. "Don't play dumb now. You know exactly why she's delivering this onslaught on Shannon. It's payback for what she did at Takeover, double crossing her and disrespecting our women legends! Wow, Shannon just got clotheslined over the barricade!"

Some pervert with a cold cup in hand, poured the contents of his beverage across Shannon's tank top, hoping to see some nipple action; but very quickly she turned around to her stomach, denying him of the moment. Becky was there too to get her back across.

"And it looks like...she's not done yet...watch yourself Bay..." warned Graves but it was too late.

Becky delivered an exploder suplex to Shannon on the commentary table, breaking it, and Shannon's boot caught Bayley through the rotation. Shannon and Bayley were out. Graves and Phillips jogged away in enough time to avoid the contact.

"Bayley had nothing to do with this Becky!" Phillips whined. "You just took out the champion!"

Finally, security and event staff ran down the ramp and separated Becky from Shannon. But she broke away from them to put Shannon in the fujiwara armbar that Becky called the Dis-Arm-Her. After keeping the hold on for thirty seconds, security grabbed hold of Becky again. Shannon jumped over another side of the barricade wall in the arena to flee. Shannon sold that ass kicking like a million bucks. The beat down was sold very much in the same fashion how Paul, as "Triple H," after outsmarting "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or "The Rock" with a sneaky win on Pay Per View, would then get his ass handed to him left and right on Raw and Smackdown for weeks, eating multiple finishers from both men. It was a non-finish turned into a brawl done right. They were telling the story of Shannon teasing a transition to working with Bayley in a Women's NXT Championship feud. Yet at the same time, they were making the fans second guess that possibility as Shannon was due some comeuppance from Becky. Everyone involved-Bayley on commentary, Becky taking out Shannon, Shannon selling the attack-played their roles masterfully.

Thursday, July 13th, 2017

Bismarck, North Dakota

The talent was in the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota for a live event. Located in the South side of downtown Bismarck, it was a multi purpose venue with portable walls, staging equipment, piano, and dance floors. It was about fifteen minutes until the show began. Billy Kidman caught up with Shannon as she passed him in one of the rooms used for the production crew.

"Hey kid, come here," said Kidman as he placed a headset on his head and adjusted it, while other crew members monitored the set up of the screens in the room.

"Hi Kidman. What's wrong?" asked Shannon, who was wearing a throwback, royal blue, Philadelphia 76ers jersey featuring Allen Iverson. She wore the NBA jersey over some white, Under Armour "Tactical Training" shorts that matched the color of the name and numbers stitched on the jersey. She still wasn't a basketball fan, but Iverson, nicknamed "The Answer," like Michael Jordan, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and many others, was considered one of the greats among his peers.

She was on her way to the dressing room to put on her gear, but stopped when the former Cruiserweight Champion called her.

"Calm down, calm down. Nothing's wrong," Kidman said with a warm smile, while shaking his head. "You're fourth on the card tonight. You wanna' help produce the first match?"

"Um, should I be more nervous than I would be for my own match?" Shannon asked as she walked further in the room, and Jamie Noble handed her his headset, and gestured for her to take his chair.

She accepted.

"You're in the ref's ear," Noble replied massaging Shannon's shoulders. "You don't have anything to be anxious about."

"I wouldn't want to mess any of the boys up," she said, tightening the band of the headset on her head, before wiping her palms, which started to sweat against her shorts.

"You wouldn't be messing anyone up!" Kidman yelled, not in frustration, but in awe. It was comical to him of how much of an ass Shannon's character could be on television, but how very worried she looked co-producing for the first time. "It's Crews versus Aries. They're vets. They know what they're doing. You'd be guiding them along, more than anything."

"Exactly," Noble agreed. "Besides, it's just one match. We're not saying do the entire show," he clarified, folding his arms up against his chest as he stood up and watched talent finish warmups in the ring through his monitor. "You're a good worker with a lot of desire and grit. Learning as much as you can out of the ring, will make you even better in the ring, trust me."

With their vote of confidence, Shannon let out a sigh, and rubbed her hands together, embracing yet another task brought upon her. With the passion she had for the business, there would always be something to learn. And she loved every second of it. The goosebumps would disappear in due time.

"Okay, let's do it!" She replied with excitement.