Chapter 4:
Date: February 16, 2006
John Cena entered the backstage area amidst loud cheering from a select group of fans. It was four hours before the event started, but, being the WWE Champion, he had to arrive early for meet-and-greet with the fans. Fans ranged from young boys and girls to older men and women, all part of the Chain Gang, and all dressed in Cena tees and jerseys. He signed autographs and posed for pictures, taking great care to pay attention to the fans, making sure they were satisfied.
One teenage girl came up to him, a big smile on her face. As Cena was signing her latest edition of RAW magazine, with Cena gracing the cover, she asked him a question that brought a smile to his face.
"Hey, um, I saw RAW last week, and I thought you and Maria looked so cute!" she squealed.
Cena looked down and blushed, "Thanks, I thought we did, too."
Excitement was written all over the fan's face as she began speaking rapidly, "Oh good! Does that mean you are continuing the Cena/Maria storyline? Because that would be really cool. What do you think of her? Is she nice? She seems nice. You know what would be nice? If you two were going out in real life. Are you going out in real life?
When she stopped to take a breath, Cena took the opportunity to answer her questions, "Whoa there! That's a lot of questions for such a little girl."
The fan didn't take offense to the jab at her seemingly young age, and instead apologized.
"That's ok," Cena assured. "But I can't answer any of those," he said grinning.
"What!" the fan exclaimed. "But why? Can't you answer just one?"
He chuckled, "Sorry, but no. You'll just have to keep watching to find out."
The fan stood dumbfounded as Cena walked away to prepare for the night's event.
Maria Kanellis was as nervous tonight as she was for the Mixed Tag match last week on RAW. She wasn't competing tonight; she was merely doing her duties as a backstage interviewer. Though she was sure of what this task entailed, she was unsure of what might happen during the interview. She paced the interview area while waiting for her interviewee.
Soon, the man in question approached, glittering title belt thrown over his shoulder. Maria gave him a nervous smile. He grinned back confidently.
"Um, hi," she murmured.
"Hello, to you, too, Miss Kanellis," he replied.
"Um, yeah, so I just have to ask you a few questions about tonight's match. Are you ready?"
When he nodded in affirmation, Maria looked to the cameraman, indicating that she was ready to begin the interview. The cameraman signaled 'one, two, three' with his hand and began filming.
Her bubbly personality resurfaced as she started the interview, "I'm here with the WWE Champion, John Cena! John, I have a few questions to ask you about last week's match and the consequences it has on the match tonight."
Cena, instead of motioning her to continue with the interview, took a step closer and caused Maria to lose some of her self-confidence. Even more uneasy, she turned her back on the champ and faced the camera.
"Um, what caused you to ask Mick Foley to be your guest referee for tonight?" When she realized that she could not point the microphone to him, she improvised, holding the microphone over her shoulder and towards his general direction.
Cena took this opportunity to step closer, to direct his voice into the microphone. "Well, Mick's a great guy and one of the best wrestlers in the business. I know he'll call the match fairly no matter who gets the pin." He stepped closer with each word until he was pressed up against Maria's back.
Maria grew flustered, "Um, ok. So, um, do you think that, um, you'll beat Edge tonight?"
Unable to move any nearer, he wrapped his arm around her waist and questioned, "What, you don't have faith in me?"
Maria quickly realized her mistake and turned to face him in order to reply. "I didn't mean that!" she exclaimed and began to digress. "I was just doing my job, you know? To ask people about their matches tonight. And I just needed your answer for then fans, because then fans love you."
"It's okay," Cena chuckled at her nervousness, "I was just kidding."
She blushed, "Oh, um, good luck then!"
"Does that mean you'll give me a good luck kiss?"
"Oh! Um…"
Before she could formulate a proper affirmation, Cena turned her around and kissed her, taking her breath away from rambling or asking any other interview questions.
"I'll see you after the match," Cena assured her and smacked her butt on his way to the ring.
The crowed popped as Cena's entrance music blasted through the arena. Soon, Foley signaled for the bell to officially begin the match.
Cena and Edge locked up and jockeyed for position. Cena grabbed a side headlock and then Edge sent him to the ropes but he came back with a shoulder block for one. Cena sent Edge hard to the corner and then hit a side slam for two. Cena locked in a rear chin lock, but Edge fought out. Cena sent Edge to the ropes, but Edge bailed to the outside, where Lita attended to his injury.
Edge was in control with a clothesline on Cena. Edge sent Cena face first to the corner but then Cena fought back with some shots to the stomach. Cena whipped Edge hard to the corner and then hit a fisherman's buster for a two-count. Cena locked in a rear chin lock and then backed Edge to the corner and broke clean, but Edge came back with a clothesline. Edge hit a knee to the back and then a standing dropkick for another two-count. Edge kicked Cena hard in the ribs and then played to the crowd. Cena came back with right hands but Edge hit a flying forearm.
Edge perched Cena on the top rope and hit some right hands before going for a superplex but Cena knocked Edge down. Edge hit another right hand and went for the superplex again but Cena again knocked him down and hit a splash from the top for two. Cena hit a knee to the head and then some right hand punches and elbows in the corner. Cena hit a snap suplex for two but then Edge sent Cena head first to the middle turnbuckle. Lita removed the turnbuckle pad in the corner but Foley caught her. Lita tied it back on and then Foley ejected her from the match. Cena waved bye to her, and Edge looked pissed.
Cena looked in pain on the outside and during the break, Edge backdropped Cena onto the guardrail. Edge hit a baseball slide on Cena and then stomped away on him in the aisle before tossing him back inside the ring for two. Cena fought back with right hands but then Edge grabbed a sleeper hold. Cena fought out, falling backwards onto Edge. Cena hit a series of clotheslines and then a flying shoulder. Edge nailed a boot to the face but Cena hit a belly to belly for two. Edge nailed another kick to the face and then went up top.
Cena cut Edge off and went for the FU from the top but Edge fell out the back and hit a powerbomb and used the ropes for two. Foley noticed Edge using the ropes and they got into a shoving match. Cena then hit a back suplex on Edge and followed up with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena went for the FU but Edge countered into a DDT for two. Edge went for the spear but Cena moved and went for the FU again but Edge countered and shoved Cena into Foley. Edge charged at Cena but he moved and Edge nailed Foley and he fell to the outside.
Cena locked in the STFU on Edge and he started to tap but Lita came down to the ring and attacked Cena. Cena cornered Lita but Edge attacked him from behind and then Lita grabbed the WWE Title belt and gave it to Edge. Edge nailed Cena in the skull with the belt and fell into a cover and then Lita got Foley back into the ring. Edge covered, and Foley counted. The pin was made, and Edge was crowned the new WWE Champion.
Meanwhile, backstage, Maria was watching the match in the locker room intently. Worry was evident on her face. Seeing the injustice, she made her way to Vince McMahon's locker room.
Without knocking, she barged into the room and pleaded, "Vince, this match tonight wasn't fair! Lita's interference cost John the match, and he worked so hard for it. Foley didn't see the injustice! John shouldn't have lost. Lita was wrong for interfering. Please, schedule a rematch?"
"Well," he began, taken aback by her sudden forwardness, "I think I can schedule a rematch for the Raw before Wrestlemania 22."
"Please, Vince! John needs his title back."
"Hmm. Okay, Cena can have his match. But you have to do something for me."
"Anything!"
"Alright, I'm thinking that you must compete. Not in order for Cena to have the match, though. I just want to see your pretty little face in the ring. It'll be you and Cena versus Edge and Lita. Yes, another mixed tag match. The right to Cena's rematch won't be on the line. You can lose, and your precious Cena will still have a chance at the title before Wrestlemania. Happy now?"
Maria jumped and squealed in joy, "Extremely happy, Vince! You don't know how much this means to me."