All I own is my original character. Everything else is WWE's playground. However, I can confirm that this is just one wrestling story that'll be uploaded. I've got a few others planned.
I let out a soft sigh as I entered the building. Vince and Paul Levesque had asked for me to show up at eleven thirty in the morning. They hadn't said why, but there were a few educated guesses. Like me skipping NXT to join SmackDown here in Milwaukee. Or that they were rescinding the offer. Both were absolutely terrifying in all honesty.
"Ah, there's our newest star!" Vince's gruff voice boomed. He was flanked by Bruce Pritchard and a stunning woman who's eyes shined as bright as diamonds. The blonde hair descended past her shoulders, allowing the pink dyed tips to be in front and back.
She was the one who actually pushed for me to get this opportunity. We met while she filmed something for YouTube and clicked almost immediately. Even though I didn't have a match in NXT proper, she stuck her neck out for me. Truth be told, it's the nicest thing anyone's done for me in almost ten years.
"Yes sir. Matthew Drake, at your service" I replied, trying to calm my nerves. The woman flashed a soft smile at me which helped slightly.
"Mister Drake, we've been reviewing some of your work. You've made quite the impression on a lot of people, including the other star here. Miss Alexis Kaufman." Bruce stated, almost disinterested in the meeting. Alexis slightly blushed which caused Vince to smirk.
"Now," Vince started, "I really haven't seen a whole lot from you. You're a good wrestler, but your character is what'll bring in money. So I'd like you to describe your character to me in the next thirty seconds."
A chuckle escaped my lips, earning raised eyebrows from the two executives. Alexis just smiled. "My character is just me. I don't back down from a fight, will go through literal hell to protect loved ones, and is generally a good barometer for if you're a jackass or not."
"Explain how that'd bring in money for the company."
"Simple; you've got someone who Brock likes working with in me, and should we face each other, he'd look absolutely dominant while I'd look like the plucky underdog who doesn't give up. You got a monster that needs to be built up? Pair me with them and they'll be made in a day. You want serious money? My promos come from my heart. That'd be enough to sell any match in short time."
Vince let out a boisterous laugh. "That confirms what I've mainly heard. Someone who's passionate about being himself. So tonight you'll have a fun segment. As will Miss Kaufman." The two of us looked at him with surprise. "A Moment of Bliss introducing him to the crowd, and a match with Heath to get him over. Does that work for you?"
"Yes sir. I'm ready to get started." Vince couldn't help but smile.
"Good. Cause we're having you guys on after the first match." We both nodded and walked to the locker rooms. Alexis was showing me where the key areas were backstage in case of emergency. The megawatt smile never leaving her face.
Getting changed into my gear, a slight grin came on my face. Grabbing a Twisted Bliss Coffee shirt, I added it to my gear for the day. Which consisted of a pair of silver tights that were tucked into black wrestling shoes. Cherry red gloves to protect my hands and, if necessary, capable of being loaded with a piece of metal. White elbow and knee pads decked out with a light blue star finished it off. Some of the others introduced themselves while others kept to themselves. Heath, my opponent for the night, was the only one who really bothered with talking to me in depth.
He wasn't too concerned about losing, as he wanted to make sure I was put over correctly. As we went over the match, he seemed to be slightly bothered by something. Alexis, who had appeared towards the end of the discussion, sighed.
"Heath, you want to tell him?" She asked. Her angelic voice was low enough to avoid drawing the attention of anyone else. He just gave a curt nod before turning to face me.
"Your finisher needs to be changed." I nodded my head. Didn't expect to keep the Fisherman buster, and a thrust spinebuster isn't that unique. A soft smile came to my face. Heath and Alexis just looked at one another in confusion.
"I could use a belly to back side slam. Or even a pump handle flowsion." I replied. The pair just shrugged before taking me out to the ring. As I hit both on Heath, he seemed to be elated.
"Use both. We can work a ref bump into our match so you'd be able to explain why both could end your matches." Alexis just looked ecstatic.
"Alrighty! Now that that's been handled, let's talk about the questions you'll be asked by me." Her smile shined like diamonds held under the moonlight. And the way her eyes seemed to glimmer in excitement caused my heart to skip a beat.
"I-I mean, ask anything you want" I stuttered, looking away. My peripheral vision caught her concerned look, which sent my heart tumbling down to my stomach. Heath just grinned before hopping on to the top turnbuckle.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft, concern lacing it. It wasn't unusual for new debuts to have butterflies in their stomachs. Heath was expecting me to find the nearest trash can and puke my guts out.
"I'm fine." I started, swallowing my nervousness down. "Just ask your questions. You've got a better understanding of what to ask than I." She just shrugged before grinning.
"Well, how about we start with where you are from?"
A soft smile came to my face as I answered "Albuquerque, New Mexico."
"How long have you been wrestling?"
"Fifteen years." Her eyes went wide at that nugget of information. Heath just raised an eyebrow, but seemed to realize that it was due to something big.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-six. I got an early start on training due to some personal problems." A frown replaced my smile, as my face fell with memories of my past flooding back. Alexis just bit her lip, making her look even cuter.
"How are you going to start the interview off?" A small smirk grew on my face, catching both witnesses off guard.
"It's an honor to be interrogated by such a gorgeous lady." A wink accompanied my comment, causing Heath to stifle a laugh. In contrast, Alexis just blushed as she struggled to reply. Clearing his throat, Heath motioned for us to leave the ring. Once we got backstage, Alexis gave me a shy look.
"Did you mean what you said? About being interviewed by a gorgeous woman?"
"Of course I did. Why?"
"No reason?" She started to walk away before pausing and looking back at me. "By the way, what's your ring name?"
"Matt Knight. Why?" She just walked away after the answer. Shaking my head, I walked back towards the locker-rooms. As the time ticked closer to the start of the show, I left the locker-room and stood near the gorilla position. Amanda Saccomanno walked by, looking me up and down.
"You the new guy?" She asked, trailing a finger up and down my torso. Nodding the affirmative, she gave a soft chuckle. "Well, how about we get together after the show? I'll introduce you to the others." Alexis walked by, checking out the scene before clearing her throat. Amanda rolled her eyes dramatically before storming off.
Alexis remained, wearing her ring gear. Her gear hugged her curves, but I found myself ensnared in her eyes. They may have had anger in them, but there was something comforting about them. It was like looking at the stars while sitting on a hill in the countryside.
"Ugh! I can't stand her flirting! She already has a boyfriend!" Alexis ranted, with our eyes remaining locked.
"Have I mentioned that I love your eyes?" I subconsciously asked out loud, causing her cheeks to burn red. Mine probably mirrored a tomato farm as I struggled to come up with a cover. One of the workers chuckled before informing us our segment was coming up. We quickly got into character for it.
"Welcome to a Moment of Bliss. This week, I've got Smackdown's newest signee on the show, so give it up for Matt Knight!" She introduced me as I walked out. The crowd gave a small response, which didn't bother me. Taking a seat, she gave me a calming smile.
"It's a pleasure to be interviewed by such a gorgeous lady such as yourself" I started. She just smiled through it, but there was a faint blush. It felt great to have that affect on someone again. Just hopefully it's not an act this time.
"The pleasure is all mine. Now, I noticed you had a slight southwestern accent. Are you from there?"
"Grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That's why I've got the accent." She just nodded before continuing.
"Growing up in Albuquerque, was there a moment where you just got hooked on wrestling or was it something that just happened?"
"The family I lived with allowed us to watch wrestling. That way I wouldn't bother them with questions." Her eyes went wide, clearly not expecting that. The crowd was surprised as well.
"Wow. How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a wrestler?"
"Eleven. A local wrestler noticed me and decided to train me. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to survive this long." A soft smile came across my face as hers dropped.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-six." Before she could ask another question, Heath Slater emerged from the back wearing a scowl.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Alexa, you should be interviewing me! An actual superstar on the roster. Not some wannabe who couldn't lace my boots!" He sneered, staring right at me. Alexa rolled her eyes at the statement.
"When was the last time you were even on TV?" She asked, getting a good pop for the question. Heath took it in stride, smiling.
"When you're as good as I am, you don't need to be on every show."
"So, if I were to beat you in the middle of the ring, I'd be able to skip two years of shows?" I asked, earning a glare from Heath and a slight giggle from Alexa. The giggle caught us off guard, but she played it off as a slight cough.
"If you think you could beat me, then you've got another thing coming. But I'll humor you. Get a ref down here, and I'll wipe that stupid grin off your face."
He stomped to the ring, enjoying the slight jeers the crowd was giving him. As I followed him to the ring, I removed the Twisted Bliss Coffee shirt, showing off my athletic build. A fleshed out two hundred and fifteen pounds of muscle, causing the women to go wild.
He attacked me as I stepped through the ropes, sending me to the bottom turnbuckle. The ref rushed down to try and pull him off while he stomped away at my torso. Once he was off, I pulled myself up with the ropes, wincing in pain as I did.
"Are you able to go?" The ref asked, which I gave him an affirmative nod. He signaled for the Bell to start the match. Heath charged at me with a predatory grin, only for it to disappear as I moved out of the way. As he bounced out of the corner, I hit him with an inverted DDT.
Returning the favor from earlier, I began stomping down on his torso once I was on my feet. He rolled onto his side to protect himself. It didn't work as I lifted him off the ground for a regular DDT. Following up, I rolled him over and mounted him before raining down some forearms and punches.
The ref had to pull me off of Heath, giving him a small respite. It went away as he staggered to his feet however, as I smashed him in the face with my elbow. Quickly pushing him down, I went for the cover.
"1….2….3 RING THE BELL!" The ref shouted, catching me off guard. Heath rolled out of the ring, seemingly hurt. As my hand was raised, the crowd gave a small cheer for the victory.
Once backstage, Vince and Bruce called me over. "What do you call that elbow strike you used?" Bruce asked.
"It went by Painkiller and Shot of Adrenaline on the Indies. Why?"
"That could easily work as a finisher! You'd be able to use other stuff, but the elbow can be used when necessary." I nodded, only to get patted on the back by Heath. An ice pack held to his jaw.
"Sorry for messing up your debut" he started, eyes locked on mine. "Had a momentary lapse towards the end." The three of us nodded before Bruce asked me to follow him. I did, only for us to stop by an empty room.
"This Sunday, we're going to have you help Joe during his match with Thomas. Nic has agreed to work with you, so you'll have a feud through the Rumble. At the Elimination Chamber event, you're going to punch your ticket to Mania to take part in a six way Intercontinental Championship ladder match." He finally took a breath and allowed me to take the information in.
"Understood sir. Is that it?"
"No. We understand that you're a big baseball fan, so are you willing to have a baseball jersey piece of merchandise?"
"I'd be honored sir."
"Okay. We'll get to work on it. Do you have a song you'd like to use as your entrance?"
"Adrenaline by Shinedown."
"Okay. We'll talk to them about getting the rights to use it." Bruce smiled and left, leaving me in the hallway. Going to the locker-rooms, Joe Anoa'I stopped me and introduced himself. He was a chill guy, and wanted to make sure everything was all good with me.
Once I arrived at the locker-rooms, I decided to look at a monitor to see what was going on. It was Alexis and Nikki taking on Amanda and Daria. It was a good match, and Alexis used the elbow strike I did earlier. Once the tag was made to Nikki and Daria, they went into the last portion, and I walked back to the gorilla position.
"You checking out Lexi?" Claudio asked from behind, wearing a soft grin on his face.
"She's way out of my league bro." I replied, giving a sad smile in return. He raised an eyebrow as I explained what happened with my ex. Claudio silently said a curse before patting my back. He and I worked together in the past, but it wasn't for a long period. But he had taken me under his wing during that time. So it was nice seeing him again.
"Trust me, Lexi won't do that to you. She couldn't hurt a fly if we're being honest." He chuckled before heading to meet up with Nakamura. Amanda and Daria made their way backstage, only pausing so Amanda could flirt some more. They left quickly, with Daria mumbling something under her breath.
"Matt? What brings you here?" Alexis questioned, quirking an eyebrow up. Nikki just rolled her eyes at the question.
"Just in the neighborhood. Figured I'd stop by and talk." I quipped, earning a chuckle from Nikki. She just shrugged before heading to the women's locker-room. Alexis swallowed nervously before motioning for me to walk with her.
"What's on your mind?"
"Well, I'm getting my first true feud on Sunday."
She smiled at me, radiating happiness with it. My heart skipped yet another beat before resuming normal operations. "That's great! Who's it against?"
"Nic Nemeth. I'm going to aid Joe on Sunday, but I'm not sure of if it'll change the outcome." She wrapped her arms around me, catching me by surprise. Her cheeks slowly warming up as our eyes met once again.
"That's great news! Nic is a true professional and will watch out for you in the ring." She released me and took back to standing on my right side.
"That's good to hear. By the way, I didn't expect to inspire someone to use a move so soon." Her eyes went wide, before stammering out a response. He chuckled before leaning down and whispering, "you made it look a million times better."
She was still blushing, but a sly grin formed on her face. "Thank you. You were good in your match earlier. Couldn't keep my eyes off of it." She giggled as I blushed, causing me to offer a soft smile in return. We went back to the locker-rooms to get changed before heading back to the hotel.
She was on the floor above mine, which allowed us to talk a little more. Her smile always illuminating her eyes more than they already were. It was an excellent view, though, and made her seem like an angel. As I stepped off the elevator, she wished me a good night.
Entering my room, a sigh escaped my lips. She was perfect. No other way to describe her. Which meant that I had no shot with her. All I am is a broken mess who has no family. No hope at getting somebody who would miss me at the holidays. And someone like Alexis? That would happen in my dreams if I was lucky. Other than that, no. It'd be nothing more than a fantasy.
A fact that the caretakers at the orphanage took pleasure in. The trainer was the only one who was even close to being a father figure to me. But he didn't give a damn about me. Just trained me to be barely passable.
Claudio, however, was able to mold me into a better wrestler. Hell, he even got Mike to train me free of charge! But he was signed to WWE almost immediately afterwards and we weren't able to talk a whole lot. So it was hard to view him as anything more than a big brother.
My eyes closed for the night, with my brain battling my heart over what to do about the angel known as Alexis Kaufman.