Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Part Thirty-Seven

Eve made her way down the ramp, her gaze flicking toward the crowd... The woman finding that it was surprisingly easy to find Dean in the crowd despite the fact that he was coming down to the ring alone. It seemed that the crowd was mostly focused on him as well, only those nearest to the ramp seeming to realize that she was headed toward the ring as well. However, with the way Dean stopped at the base of the ramp after hopping the barricade, it quickly became apparent that he was waiting for something... Or, more accurately, waiting for someone. Her.

His attention on her, Dean ignored the man that was waiting for him inside the ring... A quick glance in that direction by Eve nearly bringing a smile to her face because the bruise she'd left on Ryder's cheek looked worse now than it had when she'd first seen it the night before. She wasn't sure if it was the harsher lighting, or if it had actually darkened a bit over the past twenty-four hours. Whatever the case, she had to admit that she was kind of proud of her handiwork.

Ambrose met her eyes. "I know you can handle yourself, but I'm still going to tell you to be careful," the man said, his voice low, his gaze flicking to the bruise on her arm before going back to her eyes. "I fully intend to beat the hell out of Ryder, but that doesn't mean he won't try something. Who knows, he might try to escape... Or use you as a shield."

"He'd have to get his hands on me for that to happen... And he's not exactly going to be sneaking up behind me in a hotel hallway tonight," Eve replied, and Ambrose nodded... The man then reaching out toward her, his fingers lightly brushing over the bruise she had before he turned his attention to the man in the ring, his expression so fierce that Zack Ryder took a step back, the man looking for all the world like someone that was trying to find a way to escape.

Ambrose wasn't likely to give him a chance to, though.

Circling the ring, Eve watched as Ambrose climbed through the ropes, the man smirking slightly as he zeroed in on Ryder... Ryder taking another step back toward the ropes before he managed to stop himself. Apparently, he realized that he was looking a bit pathetic by being so transparent about not wanting to be in this match. Shaking her head, Eve smirked slightly as the bell rang, the woman's gaze flicking away from the ring toward the announcers for just a moment... Eve frowning when she saw that it appeared that Michael Cole was trying to wave her over. JBL was actually gesturing toward a chair that was set up next to him.

Apparently, though no one had said a word to her about it beforehand, she was being invited to join in on commentary... The chair and extra headset already having been out there from earlier, when Alberto Del Rio had provided guest commentary on a match.

Frowning slightly, not sure what this was going to lead to, Eve made her way over to the announce table, taking the seat provided and accepting the headset that JBL offered to her... Her gaze quickly flicking back toward the match, where Dean Ambrose was more or less taunting Ryder in between punches. As she watched, Ryder made a dive for the ropes, trying to put distance between himself and the Shield member, but Ambrose caught him with a kick to the back of the knee, sending the man down and making his escape impossible for the time being.

"And Eve Torres is currently joining us on commentary," Michael Cole said, drawing Eve's attention due to the fact that he'd said her name; the woman had no idea what he might have said before that.

"Welcome to the table, Eve," JBL said, and the divas' champion nodded slightly, glancing at the man before returning her attention to the ring, where Ambrose was using every second of his five-count to choke Ryder against the ropes.

"So is this what you're going to be doing now? Sending the Shield after people that you don't like?" Jerry Lawler questioned, and Eve fought the urge to send a rude gesture the man's way.

"Actually, no. I didn't ask Dean to do this; he made the challenge himself," she said calmly, and Michael Cole cleared his throat.

"You know, Eve... I couldn't help but notice the bruise you have on your arm, as well as the bruise on Zack Ryder's face. Was there some sort of backstage altercation between Ambrose and Ryder that you got caught in the middle of?" the man asked, and Eve arched a brow, shaking her head slightly.

"Actually, no. Neither bruise happened backstage, and the altercation didn't include Dean - or any other Shield member. Nor is it the actual reason for the challenge. Dean made the challenge after SmackDown on Friday, and the bruise on my arm happened on Saturday night at my hotel, when Zack Ryder ambushed me and attempted to force me to convince Dean to rescind the challenge," she stated, her tone matter-of-fact, a glance to the side showing her the flicker of surprise on the face of JBL... The frown on Michael Cole's face... The derision on Jerry Lawler's face.

"Zack Ryder wouldn't do something like that," Lawler began, and Eve shot a glare at the man that was fierce enough that it probably made him glad that they were at opposite ends of the announce table.

"Were you there?" she shot back, and he was forced to shake his head.

"Well, no, but-"

"Well, I was there," Eve spat out, cutting him off. "He came after me in a hotel hallway, shoved me into the wall, and refused to let me go, so I elbowed him in the face to force him to break his grip. Although, to be fair, I wasn't aiming for his face. I was aiming for his throat. And if you insist on doubting me... Maybe the hotel has security cameras in the halls in case of robberies or something. Or, you know, someone being attacked. Maybe we could get the footage."

"Eve... If that bruise happened *after* Dean Ambrose had already challenged Zack Ryder to a match... May I ask what happened to cause Ambrose to challenge him in the first place?"

"You can ask, Michael... Doesn't mean I'll answer. I wouldn't expect a straight answer from Zack, either, since his behavior on that night didn't turn out so well for him."

"It still seems to me that you're just having the Shield do your dirty work for you," King stubbornly put in, and Eve rolled her eyes.

"I didn't ask Dean to take this match. And considering the fact that the WWE hasn't allowed an intergender match in years, I doubt I would have been allowed to challenge him myself. So while I certainly didn't request for anyone to do my 'dirty work' for me... I can't say I'm opposed to watching it happen," Eve declared, pulling off the headset and leaving the announce table as the match ended, the Shield's music blaring over the sound system as she pulled herself up onto the apron and stepped into the ring to raise Ambrose's arm.

"You want me to take a few more shots at him?" Ambrose asked her, and Eve looked down to where Ryder was on the mat, practically in the fetal position. She shook her head.

"No. He's not worth the time or the effort," she told him, and the man considered her words for a moment, then shrugged.

"No, he's not. But you are."