SmackDown Filming: January 31, 2012

I enter my locker-room with Randy trailing just behind me. "It's a good day. I'm feeling good. Nothing has gone wrong. Everything is good."

Randy laughs as he closes the door behind us. "What's making you so positive tonight?"

"I'm back in the ring. You're back in the ring. I pinned Beth Phoenix and have a legitimate claim to being the Number One Contender for the Divas Championship. John Laurinaitis is probably getting fired. It's a lot of things."

"I see your point. I'm glad things seem to be going well."

"You and me both."

Someone knocks on our door. Randy and I exchange a confused look.

"Teddy Long?" Randy quietly asks.

"Probably." I reply before going to open the door.

I open the door to indeed see Teddy Long standing across from me.

Teddy smiles. "Hello, Marissa. Welcome back to the ring."

I nod. "Thanks, Teddy. What's up?"

"Well…I have good news, and I have bad news. Which would you prefer to hear first?"

"I'm in a really good mood right now. Tell me the bad news first that way this conversation ends positively and I may be able to stay in a good mood."

"Okay. Wade Barrett came to me with complaints about wanting you banned from ringside tonight for the No Disqualification match between him and Randy. Due to what happened between you and Randy and Dolph and Vickie last night on Raw, I felt inclined to grant Wade's request. My apologies, but I do have to be a fair general manager. Marissa, you played a significant role in the outcome of Randy's match against Dolph Ziggler last night. Wade had a valid point."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not even surprised. Very typical of Wade. What's the good news?"

"I just made a match official for Elimination Chamber in a few weeks. You and Beth, one more Divas Championship match. You pinned her on Sunday at Royal Rumble, and nobody else seems to be capable of giving her a fight like you do. Plus she seems to be getting quite full of herself. She is about due to get knocked down by a few pegs."

"That's fantastic news. Thank you, Teddy. Is there a stipulation?"

"No, I didn't think you needed it this time. Good luck at Elimination Chamber, and tell Randy I said good luck tonight, playa."

"I will." I close the door and sit on the couch.

"What's going on?" Randy asks.

"I'm banned from ringside tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Wade bitched and used last night to make it sound reasonable."

"It sucks, but everything will be alright. Anything else?"

"Teddy made me a Divas Championship match at Elimination Chamber."

"Good. You should be the Number One Contender. It's well deserved."

I smile. "Thanks."

"I really want to be upset about being banned from ringside tonight, but I can't be." I comment as I sit with Eve and Ryse in Catering.

"Why can't you?" Eve asks. "It's not a good thing."

"Because I got Beth at Elimination Chamber."

"Seriously? That's awesome."

"I'm pretty thrilled about it."

"You should be thrilled about it."

Ryse smiles. "You could get your championship back."

"I could get my championship back. I should be able to."

"Kick some ass, Rissa."

"I will. I can't even be mad about being banned from ringside tonight."

"Why are you banned from ringside anyway?"

"Wade used what happened last night during Randy's match with Dolph Ziggler as an excuse."

"Oh. That's not cool."

"It's typical of Wade. I'm not very surprised about it."

"Isn't it a No Disqualification match?"

I nod. "It is."

"So you're just going to hang out backstage then?" Eve asks.

"I don't think that I have much of a choice there."

"I guess you're not wrong."

"I'm just looking towards Elimination Chamber now. I get my hands on Beth once again."

"What if you're Divas Champion after WrestleMania? Aren't you and Randy supposed to be trying again after WrestleMania?"

"Randy really wants me to take the opportunity that I deserve after Royal Rumble, and we've agreed that if I am Divas Champion after WrestleMania, then we'll just wait to start trying again."

"Sounds like a pretty good plan there."

"I think so too. I just hope things still work out at some point, so I still can get pregnant."

Ryse nods. "I'm sure they will. You'll be fine, Rissa."

"That's all I'm hoping for. Though I wouldn't mind having another short Divas Championship reign."

"Of course not. Winning championships is your thing."

"You're not wrong. I just feel weird about it."

"Why?" Eve asks.

"It's almost like I'm doing something when I should be doing something else."

"You're just still getting used to being back in the ring. You'll be fine soon."

"I hope so."

I winced as I watched Randy receive a shot to the back with a steel chair from Wade. "I'm not liking this at all."

Ted gave me a reassuring look. "It'll be alright, Rissa."

"I hope so. I can't stand seeing him badly hurt."

"How did you handle him being injured for a few weeks?"

"Not very well. That's for sure."

"I heard through the grapevine that you get the Divas Championship match at Elimination Chamber."

"What you heard is true. Was the grapevine your fiancée?"

"Perhaps."

I laughed. "I knew it. I'm excited for Randy to be in the Elimination Chamber too."

"Hoping he'll defeat Daniel for the World Heavyweight Championship?"

"Possibly."

"I don't blame you. Have you even talked to Daniel recently?"

I rolled my eyes. "Absolutely not. I don't want to deal with any more drama than I already have, and Daniel and Brie are essentially walking embodiments of drama."

Ted laughs as Randy RKOs Wade onto a steel chair and pins him to win the match. "Fair enough. There you go, Rissa. Nothing to worry about."

"In the case of that match, nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, in that case, I guess."

"Are you alright though?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I think last week when I asked you in front of Randy if you were alright after the break in, you were full of shit. The only reason I didn't question it was because I didn't know what you said to Randy about it. You can't just pretend it's all alright when it's not."

"It's not alright. You're right, Ted. I keep saying that I am. Ryse gave me shit about it too. Randy hasn't said anything to me directly about it but I'm pretty sure he's aware based on how he's been with me while at home ever since. I'm going to find him. Have a good night, Ted."

"You too, Rissa."