SmackDown Live: Feb. 7, 2017
"I'm honestly bummed that I didn't make the match card for Elimination Chamber." I tell Randy as we sit in the locker-room. "Hell, I don't think I even made the show for tonight either."
Randy puts an arm around me. "That really sucks."
"What are you doing tonight?"
"Wrestling against John."
"So John Cena, the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, is facing Randy Orton, the winner of the 2017 Royal Rumble match, on SmackDown five days before Elimination Chamber, the last SmackDown pay-per-view before WrestleMania, when WrestleMania is supposed to have the main event of the WWE World Heavyweight Champion against the winner of the Royal Rumble match? Who books this crap?"
"Your brother."
"Oh yeah."
"So what are you going to do tonight?"
"Watch all the women's segments and watch your match from here."
"Okay. That sounds good."
"So when do we move forward with the plan?"
"After Elimination Chamber. It all depends on if Bray becomes WWE World Heavyweight Champion or not."
"I don't know about that. It seems like a tough one."
"Yeah. Bray's facing John, AJ, Miz, Ambrose, and Corbin."
"Yeah…do you have a match on Sunday?"
"As of now, no. But since I face the winner of the Elimination Chamber match at WrestleMania, you and I are still going to come to watch it."
"I'm pretty sure I have to anyway, so that's fine."
"Okay. Maybe if I end up with a match you can manage me."
"Maybe."
Chelle smiles as she walks into my locker-room as Randy's match against John starts. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." I sigh.
"What about Sunday at the Elimination Chamber?"
"Nothing there either."
"That sucks."
"Yeah. I know I had my time and other people need their opportunities to make it and have big matches, but I still want something. A little over a year ago, when I decided to return to wrestling instead of remaining a general manager, it was because there was a chance that things would be different, Chelle. A chance for me to get more opportunities. When we were in our prime, the Divas Championship and the Women's Championship were barely used as they should've been. I remember multiple pay per views without Divas even wrestling. The Divas Championship was only defended at WrestleMania once, and I don't know of many times that the Women's Championship was defended at WrestleMania either."
"But that's different now. Plus, both Raw and SmackDown have Women's Championship belts."
"I know things are different now. However, it's the Road to WrestleMania, and I have absolutely nothing going for me. Randy won the Royal Rumble, and despite the fact I'm absolutely proud of him, I find myself slightly jealous that he's guaranteed a WrestleMania match for a World Championship. At the rate I'm going, I'm not gonna be wrestling at WrestleMania, the biggest show of the year. I think it's bullshit because I had an opportunity to go to being part time instead of full time when the Brand Split returned and the draft came about this past year. That's why I wasn't drafted separately from Randy, and we were one draft pick together. After Shane and Daniel drafted us to SmackDown, they told me this was the Land of Opportunity and that everyone was going to be utilized and have a role. I still intended on being part time after even that for my kids. However, Daniel came and found me in private because he knew that there are very few things that I love more than being in that ring. You know what he said to me, Chelle?"
"What did Daniel say to you?"
"Daniel said to me that he didn't want anything to do with being involved in the wrestling business due to being unable to compete before I asked him to be Special Guest Referee for my match at WrestleMania this last year. He told me that I saw the passion he had for this business, which I did, and I gave him a taste of what he was missing. He said that I changed everything for him and gave him hope to be involved with this business, which is why he was happy to be Shane's general manager, which, ironically enough, would've been me if I wasn't competing again. Anyway, Daniel continued on and reminded me, even though that wasn't a long period of time at all, that while we dated, I was recovering from knee surgery and worked nonstop to get myself back in the ring because of all of my passion for competing. Granted it had already been six years since then, he reminded me that I spent numerous nights with him while we were in a relationship just talking about wrestling because that was my favorite thing in the whole world. There we were in July of 2016, Daniel Bryan looked at me and told me he had to do for me what I did for him and not let my passion for the ring die out. He told me about how this Land of Opportunity thing was going to be for young upstarts to make a name for themselves but also for some veterans to get back to where they used to be. Daniel watched me during my career peak and reminded why I stepped down from my position of Raw general manager. I did that because Becky, Sasha, and Charlotte were able to bring to the table, after I brought them up from NXT last year, exactly what our division needed to become equal. Daniel reminded me that I had always wanted to main event, especially because the first match I managed Trish for when I was paired up with was her main event of Raw against Lita. He reminded me that things were supposed to be different for the women's division now due to my work behind the scenes for years pushing for equal opportunities as well as every woman doing their best and being capable to bring as much competition as the boys could. Then, Daniel looked me in the eye and told me this was the best time for me to try for my main event and that I could wrestle all these new girls that I hadn't been able to yet in the process. Daniel told me that he knew I still had some championship reigns left in me and that I was only going to be able to get there if I was full time. He talked me into being full time when Randy couldn't. Yes, I was the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion. Yes, I just lost that championship belt two months ago and took a break from competing right after that, but I went straight from being Women's Champion to being on the preshow of Royal Rumble, also one of the biggest shows of the year, to walking into a pay per view, Elimination Chamber of all things, exclusive to my brand with not one, not two, but three women's matches, and not having a damn thing for myself. It's a damn shame I'm not allowed to schedule SmackDown women's division matches despite being President of the Women's Division since I'm on SmackDown because I'd put myself on the Elimination Chamber match card."
"Well, I believe you'll still make things work."
I sigh. "Sorry for rambling for so long, but will I? If the me from 2009, leading the Divas of Domination, was here in 2017 with women supposed to be getting equal opportunities, she'd be knocking down every damn door until she got what she wanted and was main eventing the Raws, the SmackDowns, the pay per views. She would be busting her ass every night to get what she deserves, not taking a break for over a month because she lost a match due to distraction and decided she needed yet another break. She wouldn't have even let Mickie James run around as La Luchadora and get in her head and attack her so much in the first place. On top of that, she wouldn't have let her unfinished business go for this long with Mickie James as unfinished while also not quite finishing her business with Alexa Bliss and not using her rematch clause for over two months."
Chelle gives me a concerned look. "You know I'm always here for you to vent to, Rissa. Stop being so hard on yourself for taking some breaks during this past year. It's hard to immediately get used to wrestling full time once again. Anyway, my husband just beat yours because Luke Harper stopped Bray from finishing his foul play to help Randy."
I look at the TV screen. "Oh. Look I know Randy's already going to be moody a little because he lost, but let him know I have something to go do for a little bit."
Chelle looks at me with confusion. "And what's that?"
"Go put in a request for my WrestleMania ring gear before everyone else on this show does after Elimination Chamber on Sunday. I'm still the Queen of Chaos, Chelle. I'm going into WrestleMania with unfinished business with both Alexa Bliss and Mickie James as well as an unused rematch clause for the SmackDown Women's Championship. There's no way in hell I'm not competing at WrestleMania. Hell, I might get up in their faces at Elimination Chamber just to prove a point. As I just vented to you, I realized that the me from 2009 is still here, and she wants to kick Mickie James' ass. She also wants to kick Alexa Bliss' ass, and most importantly, she wants her damn championship back because she's still the f'n best."
Chelle smiles at me. "Then get going to make that request, Rissa. While you're at it, stop talking in third person like the you from 2009 is some different person inside of you because I look at you, my best friend, and see the same thing I saw in 2009. That's a woman very passionate about her career and her life and is willing to do what she has to do to prove herself. A woman who thrives on the chaos around her. That's why she got the moniker of Queen of Chaos. But, seriously, go get the request in."
I smile as I open the door to leave. "I'm gonna go do that. Thanks by the way."
"Absolutely."
