As it turned out, the bike wasn't back at her hotel for that night, it was at her hotel for the following night. The person in the limo had certainly got some clout high up, as they took her to her hotel a day early, her room had been upgraded to a suite, and had requested the limo take her to and from the arena that night. They also dispensed sage advice, on what to do now, how to deal with issues presenting the girl, and a heartfelt one to one chat that she desperately needed. It came out easier when she knew she could just step out the car, and that person would say nothing to any of the roster about what she had told them. She had tried to insist on paying her way, but the person in the limo would have none of it.
So arriving for Smackdown in the limo, she had a brief amount of time to get focused. To forget that she had won the Royal Rumble, and to concentrate on pretending to earn a smitten Dean Ambrose's trust. Or rather, let him earn hers. She shook her head, much to her companions amusement.
"You don't like this storyline do you?" he asked.
"No Sir, I do not. It's all sorts of wrong." She said, looking out the window at the traffic. "Dean's too unstable to keep a relationship. In and out of camera view. It just does NOT make sense. And hell…me? There's nuttier Diva's in the locker room. I mean, jeez, AJ Lee, Paige, Alicia Foxx…take your pick. Rebel is badass, she's tough…she's not Dean Ambrose unstable." Rebel said.
"Well, you two do work well together in the ring. Deny it if you will, but it's true." He said after a pause.
"Be that as it may…urgh I still don't want to do this storyline, it just screams wrong. To me anyway." She replied. A thought occurred, and she looked at her companion horror struck. "Wait…they won't make me kiss him will they? If they want this storyline…they wouldn't. Right?" He raised an eyebrow in an impressive manner, and Rebel buried her head in her hands. "Oh hell, they will won't they?" She muttered, much to her companion's laughter. "Tori is going to have a field day with this."
"Tori?"
"She's a close friend of mine, best friend I guess if you still have best friends as adults. She knows how much I hate doing this sort of stuff. She's going to drag this one out as long as possible."
Sure enough when Rebel called her friend once at the venue, after an initial scolding to never terrify her that much again, Tori found the situation hilarious.
"It's not funny, Tor." Rebel had groaned upon her friends peals of laughter.
"No, no it's not. It's freaking hilarious." Tori replied as Rebel put the phone in the crook of her ear while changing. "Seriously, what's the issue? Dean's a dish, every girl knows that. Well, every girl except for you."
"I happen to base a man on his deeds, rather than his looks, Tori. He's have to go to hell and back for me to be even worth my time. Besides, he's got enough people swooning over him, he doesn't need me on that list."
"Aww, is that the ice hard heart of my lil' Bel talking?"
"Piss off, I'm three inches taller than you." Rebel replied in disgust at her friends words.
"You gotta fall sometime, Bel. You know it, I know it. Someone's gonna break the ice barrier."
"Pffft. You're as bad as my cousin. Except she's more in your face. You found a man yet? Why not? You're getting too old to have kids." Rebel mimicked. The pair laughed. "Anyways. What you doing June? 8th to 15th? The fuss over me should be gone by then, so what do you say you come out here for a week? Get some Florida sun on that pasty skin of yours?"
"Ooooh low blow, you know the ginger in me makes me burn easy. But I'm in. I'll book the holiday off work tomorrow." There was the sound of scribbling pencil in the background as she wrote down the dates.
"Sweet. I got to go now, Tori. I'll give Dean a kiss from you, shall I?" Rebel teased.
"You can give him more than a kiss if you like, but I don't think it will mean the same coming from you. Laters Bel."
"Laters Tori." Rebel ended the call, and ran a hand through her hair. As if Tori would offer anything remotely like sound advice, she scolded herself lightly. As she slid her phone back in her pocket, Rebel wondered what she should do now. Sure, her companion had advised caution. He had advised to go slow, find friend from foe before heading in a direction. But, Rebel reasoned, she had already found her friends and foes. Dean Ambrose, friend. Steph and Hunter. Friends, at least she thought they were. Randy Orton. Foe, without question. A voice cut through her thoughts, making her jump almost as much as the hand on her shoulder did.
"So, my Lady So Divine, who are you beating up tonight?" asked the owner of the hand, a mop of blonde hair being swept away from a cheeky grin. Rebel rolled her eyes.
"Knock it off, Ziggles." She said with a laugh. "And as for beating someone up…I have no idea. I think they were thinking of having me beat Ambrose to a pulp tonight, but I dunno. Not sure. Why?"
"Well, I hope you don't hurt your beautiful face." Dolph said with a pout. "Alright, I'll knock it off." He laughed as the pair began to walk to ringside.
"So, Show Off, what's up?" She asked. Dolph dropped his voice.
"Well, I came to warn you. Not only is Randy Orton on the warpath so is Rusev. I'm worried about you, Bel." He said with a pained expression.
"You still burning that torch, Ziggles?" Rebel said with a gentle voice.
"You know I do. And I know you won't ever return it. I get that now. But please…be careful." He implored, taking her by the hand and stopping her. Rebel looked at him, his blue eyes fraught with worry. She raised a hand to brush his hair away, and he closed his eyes, her hand brushing his cheek.
"Oh Dolph, I appreciate you care about me still, sweetheart…"
"Please don't call me that If you don't mean it Rebel. You know I'd give the world to hear you say it and mean it." He said, before pulling her hand away. "Just promise me…you'll be careful. You don't know what some of these guys are capable of, if they wanted you out of your spot, they would do anything." Rebel looked at him, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion in his hoody and jeans, and gave him her word.
"But Dolph…you gotta have my back." She said. "You're right, I don't know how much they are capable of. But you do. You know a lot of these men better than I do."
"Just say the word, and I'll be there." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "And talking of being somewhere, don't we have rehearsals?"
The show was about to start. Rebel stood backstage with Seth ready to kick off the show with a banter between the two of them and John Cena.
"So. How's it feel being a winner?" He asked with a grin.
"Horrible." She laughed. "How the hell were you allowed to compete in the rumble after what happened between you, John and Brock?"
"Simple. I wasn't. They were going to cut me, but I went out anyway. Hunter was furious with me, but he told me he couldn't do anything."
"Why not? He's COO." Rebel laughed.
"Because he would have done the same thing all those years ago if it was him." He said with a wicked grin.
"And that right there is why the crowds still love you even after you decimated The Shield."
"Which a certain rebellious female will never forgive me for, I know," He said, continuing to grin at her.
"Oh come on, you guys knew how big a fan I was. That Triple Powerbomb was epic." Rebel protested as they watched the monitors nearby.
"Yeah, yeah I know how much you'd have loved to be the fourth hound." Seth waved her protests aside, making backstage members laugh as John Cena came over.
"And where exactly would I have stood for the powerbomb?" she asked, eyebrow raised. There was discussion between the three superstars on how it would be done, and what it would be called as they waited for the ok to be given to go out and greet the fans for the night. As the decision was made, Rebel was given the ok to head out and meet the crowds.
The crowds screamed and yelled, she saw posters bearing her name everywhere. She smiled, laughed, hi-fived and hugged as she got down to the ring. She had been in the ring for maybe a minute, saying thank you for the support of the crowd, how she didn't expect to be where she was now and it was all down to them. Then John Cena came down, the crowds again going nuts, as he re-iterated how he was impressed with her performance, a joke or two shared, a veiled suggestion she pick him for the Wrestlemania Headline slot. But before she could utter the next words of "I'll think it over" someone came out.
But, instead of Seth's theme ripping across the arena, the words "I hear voices in my head, they counsel me, they understand, they talk to me" echoed around them. Rebel and John looked at each other, and Rebel felt her stomach drop. Her companion in the limo had advised caution, and this was why. As both Rebel and John Cena stared up at the top of the walkway, they could see a proud, gleeful Randy Orton stood with arms raised, microphone in hand, at the top of the walkway. Rebel felt her heart sink even further. Vince was going to be pissed at this, without fail. There was no way Randy could get away with just…disrupting the nights running order. And where was Seth?
"Now, Rebel, you look a little alarmed to see me," He said in a voice that dripped with smug satisfaction. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Sweetie, there's no need to be worried about me. Wait, I take that back. You got every reason to be concerned." He was now on the ring apron, and slipped between the ropes as John took two steps to the right, to stand in front of Rebel. The tension in the arena was on a knife edge, everyone believed any second now, John and Randy would start to brawl.
"What are you doing here, Randy?" asked John, with a narrow eyed glare.
"I came to see what all the fuss was about, some scrawny little whelp winning the first Rumble they entered does make big news. Now I've seen it…there's not much to worry about."
"Watch your mouth, Snake, before I cut off your head," Rebel said, a clear note of warning in her voice. The crowds cheered as she took a step closer.
"I'm sorry honey, the grownups are talking, go play with your dollies, there's a good girl." Randy added.
"You forget who you're talking to." Rebel retorted.
"As do you. I am the youngest World Heavyweight Champion this company has ever had. If I wanted to, I could snap your skinny ass in half like a twig!"
"What's your point, Orton, you obviously came out here to make one." John snapped, holding Rebel back with an arm.
"My point? My RIGHT is my point. I should be the one headlining Wrestlemania, not that pathetic excuse for a headlining act! I've been here longer, entered more Rumbles, hell, even had a headlining match on RAW, one thing YOU haven't. I demand you give me that shot."
"How about I give you a knuckle sandwich instead?" Rebel replied, before breaking free from John's restraining arm and delivering one of her two signature moves, Wild Thing. It was basically a girl version of a Superman Punch, except Rebel would often extend her fingers to literally claw her opponent's face. Scratch marks that often bled were the result, and the crowds cheered and screamed as Randy now sported a set of his own, two out of the four marks bleeding already as he stumbled backwards. Rebel advanced again, kicking out at Randy and not quite connecting as John pulled her back. Randy glared at her from the ropes as he felt his cheek.
"I suggest you leave, Randy. Before I let her go…and I can assure you, with my help, what we will both do to you…it's not gonna be pretty." John remarked, pinning a struggling Rebel in to the corner.
Getting backstage, Rebel turned to John.
"Sorry you had to see that, John…I never lose my cool like that…" She said, a hand running through her hair.
"Wild animals attack when threatened, Rebel," he said with a smile. "Especially by that C-"
"Don't use that word, you know I don't like it," she said, cutting off the swear word.
"You used it the other day,"
"I was pissed off the other day..." she replied with a raised eyebrow. "Damn it, where IS Seth?" she asked aloud as they began to walk back towards catering. They didn't make it to catering as they were distracted by the sound of someone screaming blue murder and swearing like a sailor, accompanied by hands hammering down on something. John and Rebel locked eyes.
"Seth," they both uttered, before heading towards the sound, a door that vibrated hard with each punch and kick. John pulled the chair from under the handle, jamming them in, and opened the door. Seth stood, red from shouting and screaming, a hand clutching the back of his head.
"What happened?" asked Rebel, brow furrowed and pulling his hand away to see if he was bleeding.
"Don't know. One second I was due to go out...then something hit me...then i come to in here." He said as John pointed towards medical, and Seth nodded gently.
"That snake," Rebel hissed, furious.
"Snake? What did I miss?" Seth asked.
"I'll explain as we walk," Rebel said with clenched fists.
It was clear that Randy had a grudge against her for winning the Rumble. Her friend in the limo had been right, she should have been more cautious. Rebel had left Seth and John at medical and was heading to get a drink from catering. She still had a match to go, and needed to get her mind off the altercation and focus. As she walked she found her path blocked by none other than Rusev and Lana. She tried to get past, but no luck as Rusev refused to move.
"You. You are a lucky, lucky Diva right now." Rebel said nothing, but stood ready to fight, sure one was coming. "Rusev took his chance, it didn't go to plan, but you were there weren't you? Ready to mop up the pieces and take the win. But you should know, Rusev does not give up that easily."
"Do I look like I care right now?" Rebel snapped, before getting in Lana's face. "Get the fuck out of my way, or that Smirnoff bottle up your ass will be the least of your worries." She pushed past Lana and carried on.
"I'd wish you good luck at Wrestlemania," Rusev said, making Rebel pause and glance back over her shoulder, "But I think you'd need the good luck making it to Wrestlemania in the first place."
"Screw you," Rebel spat, before continuing to walk off towards catering.
Randy's criticism that she had never had a headline fight came to an end that night as she found herself set up in the main match of the night. However, she was NOT impressed when she came to see who her opponent was.
"Well what do we have here?" asked a voice that made Rebel cringe and groan aloud. "Somehow this raggedy ass excuse for a Diva managed to win the Royal Rumble." The voice belonged to none other than Titus O'Neil. He came out, smarmy and over-confident, as he extolled every virtue he believed he possessed over her, before getting in the ring. Rebel took a deep breath, determined not to let him get the better of her.
Backstage, Hunter and Stephanie watched her off camera.
"Are we doing the right thing, Steph? Letting this fly?" asked Hunter as Titus mercilessly began to take down Rebel.
"I don't see that we've got a choice, Hunter. I mean, imagine the outcry if we did take this all away from her. Rebel might be glad about it, but you can be damn sure that the rest of the world won't feel that way. And down the line well, she'd regret it, let's face it, you know she would."
"I suppose you're right. I guess the best we can do is make sure she's prepared for whoever she faces at Wrestlemania." Hunter said, and the pair cringed as Titus shoved her through the ropes and out of the ring. "Not that I know who that should be."
"I know. Everyone wants to share that headline spot. But there's few who wouldn't just kick her ass, and not give her the best chance to make a match of it. There's some backstage who openly resent her win, Hunter. Dare I say it, but we may find ourselves protecting her. Dean said to me earlier he believes Randy Orton had collared her, and after what happened tonight, I'm inclined to believe he did."
"He's a stubborn bastard. And self righteous. Yeah, he might be the youngest, a three generation wrestler, but Rebel has everything going for her. Just because she's a Diva, that shouldn't count against her." Hunter rubbed the bridge of his nose, and shook his head as Titus sealed a victory by pinning the now bleeding Diva.
"You're right, it shouldn't. But for Rebel, unfortunately, it will." Steph replied, as the Diva limped from the arena.
She could feel blood coming from her nose, but tried to stand tall and ignore it as best she could. Walking back down the corridor, she saw several stars lining the walkway. Rusev and Lana, who gave her a triumphant smile as she passed. Konnor and Victor, the Ascension, staring her down as she walked past, determined not to make eye contact. The whispers became open taunts as she headed past them, saying she couldn't handle it, that she would fail at Wrestlemania, if she even made it. Rebel just walked on, past Tyson Kidd and Antonio Cesaro who joined in. Rebel wondered if Natalya had won, would Tyson be calling her a waste of space like he was currently calling her. Chief among the stars there was none other than Randy Orton. He stepped out and stood in front of her, blocking her way.
"What do you want Orton?" Rebel asked, annoyed. Randy looked at the now blossoming black eye, sucked in a breath and shook his head.
"Damn, that looks nasty, Rebel. You should get to medical." He said with an evil smile.
"You fucking think?" she spat.
"Yeah, I do. Let me get out of your way." He said, stepping to the side. Scowling, Rebel went to walk past, except she found a foot in the back of her knee, sending her sprawling down to the ground. She went to get up, but there was a foot on her neck, and then a hand in her hair.
"You think it's going to be easy, Rebel? You think I'm just going to allow you to waltz right up to Mania, and sweep the world away in some kind of dazzling victory?" He asked as his knee took the place of his foot. An arm came round her throat, putting her in a sleeper hold that certainly wasn't for the cameras. Rebel scratched and clawed at his arm as he cinched it in tighter, and whispered in her ear as she began to slowly fade out of consciousness. "I'm not going to make this even remotely easy. I'm going to make it hell, I'm going to make you wish you had never won that rumble." Rebel gasped for breath but she could no longer hold on. Slowly, blackness overtook her, and she passed out.