It was the night of SmackDown, and all of the Superstars and Divas were busy getting prepared for their upcoming matches and segments. Despite SmackDown being the secondary show of WWE, and no where near as highly rated as Monday Night RAW, it was still massively important to all of the stars of the company. Any TV time meant that you were furthering your career, your character and any storyline you were involved in.
For Ashley, tonight was when her debut match was scheduled. She was looking forward to it, as she knew that Summer would be bringing her A game as well. After her return on RAW yesterday, and the way she'd called out the rookie, Ashley was expecting fireworks from the younger blonde. After all, nobody liked to be left in the dark, and then called out. It just wasn't something you did if you liked someone. A lot of people didn't think it was very respectful, and to be honest, Ashley didn't mind what people thought. She didn't respect Summer as a person because she wasn't a good person. She'd rubbed so many people the wrong way that the Punk Princess decided it was high time someone knocked her down a peg or two.
Now, there were a few hours before the show was scheduled to start, and Ashley was busying herself in the catering area by getting some fruit and water, as she hadn't had time to eat before she left the hotel earlier on. As she was doing so, she was approached by Natalya, who she had known for some time now.
"Hey, Ashley. I was wondering if I could pick your brain for a moment?" She asked, as she grabbed a plate for herself, and began filling it with fruit as well.
"Go for it, Nattie." She nodded, as she added a handful of grapes onto her plate and moved along, giving Nattie some room to pick and choose.
"Well, I saw your confrontation with Summer on RAW and I was thinking about talking to some of the E! producers and getting you a place on Total Divas. I know you've just gotten back, but I think we could do with some more veteran Divas and everyone knows that any kind of drama will bring in ratings."
Honestly, Ashley was surprised about the entire offer. She didn't think Natalya would be able to convince anyone to get her onto the show, unless it came from the producers themselves. But, it was a good offer, and she didn't see the harm in being on Total Divas. Then again, she had just returned. Maybe it was too soon to be throwing herself into new things.
"Wow, um, I don't know, Nattie." She started off, rubbing the back of her neck for a moment. "I mean it's a great idea, and I'd love it. But, I don't know if it's too soon for me. I don't want to be rubbing everyone the wrong way by intruding. If the producers really want me, sure."
Natalya nodded her head, understanding. She'd always been very helpful and seemed to want everyone to do well here. She was one of the mentors for the other girls, always giving helpful advice. It was nice to have her around right now, as Ashley didn't really want to return without the knowledge of her close friends.
After a quick chat about the details of it all, Natalya disappeared to go prepare for Tyson and Cesaro's tag team match later in the evening. It was nice to see her working so closely with her husband, especially given that all of their marriage issues seemed to have dissipated. She was honestly really happy for the experienced woman - she wouldn't have wanted to see such a wonderful couple end up divorced.
Ashley spent the next twenty minutes sitting alone, eating her fruit and rehydrating herself. Despite there being plenty of people around that she could go ahead and talk to, she liked a little bit of alone time, to collect her thoughts and mentally prepare herself for getting back into the ring later tonight.
It had been seven years since she'd wrestled in front of a WWE crowd, and she didn't want to make any mistakes. She was confident in herself that she'd spent her time training wisely, and she had learned a lot more. She'd improved her moveset, and altered some of her signature moves as well. She didn't want to change her finisher or anything like that, but simply make them better and put some more of her personality into them. That was important to her, because she'd always stood out appearance wise - she wanted to do the same in the ring. She didn't want to be just another Diva. She wanted to be the Diva. The one that came back, and changed everybody's opinions on her and her talents.
After finishing off her food and tossing the paper plate into a nearby trash can, Ashley made her way back to the locker-room so she could get changed for her match. Her attire tonight was brand new, something to really show off who she was. It was similar to her regular outfits, it had that punky style she was known for, but it wasn't something she'd worn before. It was specifically made for tonight's match.
As she arrived in the locker-room, she noticed that nobody else was in there. Not too strange, considering a lot of the girls liked to hang around in the catering area, or by the seamstresses table, or just in various parts of the arena. She'd spotted a couple by the merchandise stand earlier on.
Shrugging her shoulders, she carried on as normal, and tended to her bags. Unzipping her duffel bag, she pulled out her wrestling boots first and set them down onto the bench beside her. Then, from absolutely nowhere, she felt a massive thud against the back of her head, and went crashing into the floor.
Behind her, Summer Rae was stood over her, laughing in a very shrill manner. She then grabbed Ashley by the hair and lifted her head up so she could look at her when she spoke. "This will teach you not to call me out like that ever again." She said, her voice stern and harsh.
After speaking, Summer then slammed Ashley's head into the bench not once, not twice, but three times before then letting go and laughing again as she watched the more experienced Diva cradle her head in pain.
"Maybe now you'll show me the respect I deserve." Summer said, before the locker-room door swung open.
"What the hell are you doing?" The voice that came from the door was that of Brie Bella, who had walked in to grab her phone - which she'd forgotten in her bag. It became clear that Brie was angry, and she wasn't going to let this assault on Ashley continue. "Get out of here, right now!"
Summer smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she walked past Brie and towards the door. "I was just leaving anyway."
After making sure that Summer had left, Brie hurried over to Ashley's side, who was lying on the floor still. Her head was spinning, she was dizzy and in a great deal of pain after the attack. "Oh my gosh, are you alright? Come on, sit up." Brie said, her voice calm and soothing. But Ashley's head was so sore, she couldn't comprehend what the brunette had said.
Shaking her head, Brie rushed to the door, and looked around. "You! Go get the Doc, now!" She yelled, at a random crew member who was busy sorting through a few things. Hearing the direct tone in Brie's voice, he nodded and rushed off to get WWE's doctor.
Turning back around, Brie sat herself down beside Ashley and put her hand on the female's back. "You're gonna be fine. She's not going to get away with this." She said, trying to soothe the blonde, while the doctor rushed into the room.
"What happened?" He asked, as he crouched down in front of Ashley, helping her to sit up.
"I think Summer attacked her. I didn't see, but she's not too good." Brie explained, moving to give the doctor some space.
At this point Ashley was able to speak a bit more, though she was still cradling her head, where a large bump was beginning to appear. "She jumped me from behind, and then she slammed my head into the bench a few times." She said, her voice somewhat shaky. It had been a shock to her system, as she didn't think Summer would sink this low. Clearly, she'd underestimated her.
"Okay, let's get you back to my office. We need to get you checked for a concussion." He said, as he pulled her to her feet. From there, he and Brie helped her to walk towards the Doc's office.
After getting thoroughly checked out, Ashley was informed she didn't have a concussion, but she wouldn't be able to compete tonight. So, after a brief discussion with a few members of management, it was agreed that Ashley would have a short interview with Renee Young on the WWE App to discuss her injuries, and to address Summer Rae - who would be competing tonight against Brie Bella.
With a bandage covering the large bump on her head, Ashley made her way to the interview area. Brie walked along with her, dressed in her ring gear, ready to take on Summer Rae on her behalf this week. Of course, the blonde had a few tricks up her sleeve, and wouldn't be letting Summer get away with it this easily.
Once Brie disappeared for her match, Ashley was approached by Renee Young almost instantly, and after a brief chat, the two got prepared for the interview.
"So, Ashley, it seems that you are unable to compete here for your debut match. Tell us, what exactly happened with Summer back there?" Renee asked, before holding the microphone towards Ashley so she could answer.
"Well, apparently she didn't think she could beat me fairly. So, she had to attack me and give me a pretty hefty headache. But, that doesn't mean I'm out of the game completely." She replied, a small smirk on her face. "One measly attack from behind isn't going to stop me."
"Summer is actually still competing tonight against Brie Bella, who incidentally was the one who stopped the attack in the first place. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Brie is a good friend of mine, and yes she did stop Summer's attack. I'm grateful that she was around. She's probably going to kick Summer's ass too, given that she's a much better wrestler." Ashley shrugged at the small insult she'd just offered her blonde rival - who would no doubt see this interview later.
"Ashley, thank you for your time, and I hope you're feeling better soon. I know all the WWE fans out there want to see you back in that ring." Renee smiled, a small nod of her head following her words.
"Don't you worry, Renee. You'll all be seeing plenty of me." She said with a grin, as she stepped out of the camera's focus, and made her way to the gorilla position.
She was busy watching the match on one of the small monitors backstage, and was waiting for her perfect moment. She wasn't about to let Summer just go ahead and get one over on her. That wasn't how things worked, not in the WWE and not in Ashley's life in general. She wouldn't take such an attack lying down, and if Summer really thought she would, well, she was stupider than she looked.
Seeing that Summer had managed to get the upper hand, Ashley nodded towards the technicians and waited until her music kicked in. Once it did, she made her way onto the stage, and of course, all the fans had lit up with enjoyment, all to see Ashley coming down to the ring. Summer, of course, was throwing a fit and shouting at the referee to get rid of the blonde, so she could finish her match. However, Ashley didn't plan on getting into the ring at all. She stopped just outside of the ring and stood with her hands on her hips.
"What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here!" Summer was yelling over the top rope, throwing her arms around in a fit of anger.
"You might want to concentrate." Ashley simply said, but before Summer could even turn around and continue, Brie had gained the upper hand and pulled Summer down into a roll-up. The referee was quick to fall to the mat and counted it out. One, two, three. The match was over.
Summer began slamming her hands against the mat, screaming her head off like a spoiled child, while Brie rolled out of the ring and stood at the bottom of the ramp beside Ashley. The two girls shared a hug, and Ashley raised Brie's hand in victory, while Summer shouted at the referee again. She'd be coming up with excuses all week long to prepare for Monday, Ashley had no doubt about it.
But, none of that mattered right now. As the two women made their way backstage, Ashley grinned, and gave Brie yet another hug. She'd gotten one over on Summer, regardless of her head injury, and it seemed the fans were already loving the fact that she was back and stirring the pot a little. Things were coming up Ashley, and this was only the beginning.