There wasn't long to go before the start of the NXT Takeover pre-show. Consisting of two matches, the pre-show was intended to warm up the live audience in the arena before the main show started. It also served a secondary purpose, in that the two matches would be taped and used on the next televised episode of NXT.
The first of the two matches on this particular occasion was Mandy Rose vs Sasha Banks. Ever since finding out about it a few days earlier, Mandy had been so excited that she had barely been able to sleep. Fourteen thousand people were expected to pack out the arena for Takeover. What a setting on which to make a televised wrestling debut.
Sonya could tell that underneath the excitement, Mandy was nervous. How could she not be? Sonya had taken it upon herself to be there for her girlfriend, as she was in all aspects of life. Now, as they left the makeup area looking ready for the show, Sonya was getting nervous vibes from her girl again. She realised the time was right to offer some more words of confidence.
Dressed in their ring attire, makeup done, and in Sonya's case, hair up, there was only one finishing touch required before they were totally ready to appear in front of the cameras.
"Son, can you put this on for me, please?" Mandy said, holding out a small bottle of body oil that she had been carrying.
"Of course," Sonya said, taking it. They were standing off to the side of the wide hallway, out of the way of the hustle and bustle that always happened backstage this close to the start of a show.
Mandy held her arms away from her body slightly so that Sonya could start with them.
"I can tell you're nervous, honey," Sonya said after oiling up both hands and getting to work, firmly rubbing the oil into Mandy's arms. "I want you to remember that you, in fact we, have earned this opportunity. We've busted our asses for nearly eighteen months to get to this point. You're great in the ring, and you've got an experienced opponent in Sasha. We both know she's good to work with, once you get past her attitude in the locker room. It's going to be a good match. In years to come, we're going to look back on tonight with nothing but positive memories. Am I right?"
"Yeah, you're right," Mandy said as Sonya crouched down to work on oiling her legs. She was so focused on the match at hand that she didn't pay much attention to the feeling of her girl's hands rubbing the oil into her skin. Ordinarily, she would have revelled in it. "I know it's going to be a good match. It's the damn waiting that's killing me. I just want to be out there, you know?"
"I totally understand," Sonya said.
Standing up a few moments later, Sonya saw surprise in Mandy eyes. She was looking past Sonya, not at her. "What's up?" she asked.
"Lucy Thorne," Mandy said under her breath.
Turning around, Sonya saw the boss approaching them. It surprised Sonya that Thorne would be at an NXT event, but then it was a Takeover, not a regular TV taping at Full Sail. Lucy was wearing a black business suit, as opposed to one of the vintage style outfits she wore on Raw every week as part of her role as Lacey Evans' ally at the top. Beside the boss was Alexa Bliss, the personal assistant who Sonya and Mandy had met before.
"Ladies, hello," Thorne said pleasantly. "Mandy, we've not met. Lucy Thorne."
"Nice to meet you," Mandy said with a smile as they shook hands.
"Sonya, good to see you," Lucy said.
"You too," Sonya said with a smile of her own, noticing that Bliss had hung back, busying herself with a cell phone. "I'd shake hands, but..." She held up her oily hands.
"We're loving you and Lacey together," Mandy said. "It's such a unique angle, and you both look incredible every week."
"Thank you," Lucy said, genuinely appreciating the compliment. "Tonight is your first match, I understand?"
"It is," Mandy nodded. "I was just telling Sonya that I can't wait to get out there. I'm sure Son is going to get her chance in the ring real soon as well."
Lucy looked at Sonya, and Sonya found herself thinking that it seemed like the boss was interested in that prospect. She was reminded of Thorne's past comments about having high hopes for her. For whatever reason, she had the attention of the owner of the company. That had to be a good thing.
"Yes, she will," Lucy said. "And I'll be watching. I'll be watching all three of you. Where is Zelina, anyway?"
"Back in the locker room," Mandy said.
Lucy nodded. "Well, I'll let you get on. Give Zelina my regards, and enjoy the match."
Mandy and Sonya both thanked her. As they walked away, Sonya exchanged a nod of acknowledgement with Alexa Bliss, who was now on a phone call with someone.
"I like her," Mandy said once they were a suitable distance away, meaning Lucy.
"Yeah, she's nice," Sonya said. "But I bet there's another side there if you piss her off. You don't run a company this big without having that string to your bow."
"I'm sure you're right. But we're on the good side right now. She likes you, that's for sure."
Sonya chuckled. "So it seems. If you're lucky, I'll bring you with me on my way to the top."
Mandy laughed heartily. "As if you could get there without me."
"Not a chance," Sonya said, also laughing. "Hey, I didn't finish oiling you up."
"You just want to get your hands on my body again," Mandy said, surprised by how horny she suddenly felt. She was a bit of a mess of emotions, which wasn't a massive surprise.
Sonya looked at her with desire in her eyes. "Knock the match out of the park and maybe Daria will come around tonight."
Mandy made a quiet, uncontrollable noise that sounded like delight to Sonya before saying, "You won't be able to dress like Daria. We're not home tonight."
"Maybe you don't know what I put in my case." With that, they arrived back at the locker room. Sonya led the way inside, finding Zelina and Sasha ready to go Gorilla when the time came.
Before long, that was where they were. Kayla Braxton was in the ring, welcoming the fans to the show and telling them to get loud for the first match of the night. Sonya knew they would have no problem doing that once Sasha's music dropped. It was actually kind of odd that one of the most experienced, and now that she had turned face, most popular people in NXT wasn't on the main card, but that was to the advantage of Mandy and the Golden Gloves.
Mandy smiled nervously at Sasha.
"Relax, you're going to be great," Sasha said. Barely had she finished her sentence when her music hit, drawing a generous ovation from the fans. Sasha stepped through the curtain, and was gone. Sonya was a little surprised by the encouragement coming from Banks, but she certainly wasn't going to complain about it.
"So, we're going to do the new pose we agreed on, right?" Zelina asked them both.
"Yeah," Mandy said. "I just hope I look as convincing as I know Sonya will be."
"Don't be silly," Sonya said, smiling.
Sasha's entrance routine wasn't a long one. Her music soon faded out. Moments later, the fast-paced rock track that served as a theme for the Golden Gloves replaced it. Sonya enjoyed the fact that there were some boos from the fans.
Walking through the curtain, Sonya had a focused, aggressive expression on her face. Inside, she was alive with excitement. There were some empty seats in the arena, but the vast majority of people had made sure to arrive and get settled in before the pre-show. It gave them an amazing audience to work in front of.
On their way to the ring, Sonya walked on one side of Zelina, with Mandy on the other. Their manager and leader walked slightly ahead of them.
"And her opponent," Braxton announced, "representing the Golden Gloves, Mandy Rose!"
Hearing her girlfriend announced for a match was nothing new, but this time Sonya felt immensely proud. Mandy deserved this chance, and Sonya knew she would make the most if it.
The Golden Gloves trio simultaneously slid into the ring, as part of the entrance routine that they had put together after a great deal of discussion. Next came the pose that Zelina had suggested. Taking inspiration from UFC weigh-ins, Sonya and Mandy would stand face to face, fists raised and clenched. Given that the basic concept behind the Golden Gloves was that they were two prize fighters handpicked by Zelina, the pose fitted the gimmick perfectly.
Sonya and Mandy stood in the middle of the ring, almost nose to nose, glaring into each other's eyes as if they were going to fight. Ceremoniously, Zelina stepped in between them and split them up. With some final words to fire Mandy up, the Golden Gloves' manager led Sonya out of the ring. The match was ready to begin.
With Zelina primarily in charge of managing the Golden Gloves, Sonya's job during the match was essentially just to stand at ringside and look invested in what she was watching. It wasn't difficult to pull off at all, since it was her girlfriend's first big match.
In typical heel fashion, Mandy dominated most of the match, using interference from Zelina on one occasion to maintain the upper hand. Several times, Mandy was able to get a near fall, but Sasha was able to kick out every time.
"Stay focused!" Zelina screamed into the ring when Mandy showed signs of getting frustrated and losing her cool. "Get her up, and finish her off!"
Slapping the mat in a sign of aggression and determination, Mandy got up and stood poised, ready to strike. Sasha groggily got to her feet. When she turned around, Mandy kicked her in the stomach and got her in position for A Bed of Roses, her finishing move.
Mandy lifted Sasha into the air, but as Sasha reached the highest point she was able to wriggle free, grab hold on Mandy's arm and send them both crashing to the mat. As they landed, they were in position for Sasha to lock in the Bank Statement, the submission hold with which she picked up most of her wins.
There was barely time for Sonya and Zelina to desperately call out to Mandy to get to the ropes, for she tapped out almost immediately, doing a great job of making the hold look painfully effective.
The fans cheered and applauded Sasha's victory, which was as much a successful outcome for Mandy as it was for Banks. It took two to put on a good match and get the babyface over, and Sonya had no doubt that what she had just witnessed had been a good match, if not a memorable one, at least as far as the fans were concerned. A five minute affair on the pre-show was never going to live long in their minds, but Sonya knew that she would always remember it. Under significant pressure, Mandy had performed like someone with a lot more experience than she actually had, and that was a credit to her.
Prior to the show, Sonya had hoped that although Mandy was going to lose, the Golden Gloves might give Sasha a beating after the match was over. But on this occasion, that was not to be the case. It was probably an issue of time, she reasoned.
Defeated, Mandy rolled out of the ring, holding her arm to sell the pain that had just made her tap out. Zelina and Sonya were standing there waiting for her, and Sonya put an arm around her injured teammate, supposedly to help her walk to the back.
"Great job, Mand," Sonya said quietly into her ear. "That was pretty much a flawless performance."
"I know! I'm so pleased," Mandy said under her breath.
Walking ahead of them, Zelina found herself with a cameraman in her face. She took the opportunity to snarl a few words at the audience before the segment came to an end. "The Golden Gloves are only just getting started!" she said, making it sound like a stark warning to the rest of the women in NXT.
A/N: Many thanks to everyone who left a review last time.
The Golden Gloves are off and running in NXT, albeit with a loss. But Mandy gave a good account of herself and the fans enjoyed the match she put on.
Next time, Sonya and Mandy will be helping out at Ember Moon's charity for homeless veterans. How do you think they will get on? Will they enjoy themselves and want to get more involved, or will the experience put them off?