Disclaimer: I do not own any WWE Superstar in this story. The personas/gimmicks belong to the WWE. The actual persons belong to their respective selves. Any brand/logo/trademarked name found in this story does not belong to me.

Chapter One: Stepping Back

She shifted her weight from foot to foot and took deep breaths as she stretched her neck and arms. Here she was, standing inside a wrestling ring, with her usual workout attire: a pair of loose black jogging pants and a plain white fitted baby-tee with her white rubber shoes. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair was falling loose from the tight ponytail at the back of her head. The shorter strands were dangling across her face as her breaths made them fly off her face. She tucked her nose-length bangs behind her ears and concentrated.

"Okay, Ann, I want you to have a match against Fred over here… Just to test how much you've learned over the months…" Ray Peters, her world-renowned wrestling coach, said as he pointed to the other wrestler on the opposite corner. Ray was a man with short graying black hair, brown eyes and a pointed nose. He had thin lips and his body was getting thinner as each day passed, but his energy and strength never deteriorated no matter what.

The sound of the bell echoed through the gym as the other training wrestlers stopped what they were doing to watch the two in the ring. Fred took advantage of his size and weight and carried her onto his shoulders. She immediately countered with a shattering back-breaker. He stood up while holding his aching back and concentrated. He stalked her and grabbed her feet so she fell down on her back, but she once again countered as she placed his neck in between her ankles, twisted her body so her legs were crossed, and performed a hurricanrana on Fred.

Soon, she was the one getting the upper hand and was stalking Fred who was using the ropes to help him stand up. The people around them were cheering and Ray was jumping around the ring acting as referee. Fred got to his feet as she seized the moment to carry the man who was twice her weight on her shoulders. She spun him around to her front and pushed him down hard to the canvas so his back hit it so hard, he would ache for a couple of days. She saw his knocked out state and covered him for the pin. 1. 2. 3.

"Great job, Ann! You're done for the day!" Ray said. Oh, how she hated being called that name. She smiled at him before walking out the ring and to her gym bag that was on a bench near the weights area. She grabbed a towel and wiped her sweating body dry. She slung the towel onto her right shoulder and sat down on the bench. She grabbed her water bottle and took a couple of sips.

She was Ann Laurice Cruz, a 22 year-old Filipino-Spanish descent girl born on January 1, 1981. She had layered shoulder-length dark brown hair with some nose-length bangs to match. Her eyes were almond shaped and were a shade that was on the brink of brown and black. Her skin, it wasn't dark, it wasn't fair, it was just slightly tanned, and kind of like the color of coffee once you get a lot of milk mixed into it. She wasn't the tallest of women, probably tottering around 5"3 and 5"4. Her body, she wasn't that curvaceous. She was just right. Sure, she had a couple of curves here and there but not totally curved. Good enough front and behind, it was good. She was good.

She had graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Education, major in Mathematics when she was 21. After that, she decided to fly to L.A and join the wrestling school that was opened there a couple of years ago. She'd been an avid fan of wrestling for quite some time now and she'd been longing to try it first hand. So now, she'd been training for a good year and she'd learned a lot from Ray Peters.

Deciding it was time to go home since she'd done her duty for the day, which was to amaze everyone with how quickly she's learned to wrestle and even beat some of the guys, she packed all of her things and started to walk towards the door. She was about halfway there when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She looked back to find a man, probably around in his mid-thirties, wearing a pair of black slacks and a black polo, smiling at her.

"Excuse me, miss, but are you Ann?" he asked, offering her the warmest smile he could muster. "I've been hearing your name all day and seeing as it is that you are the only girl here right now, I was assuming that you are…" he continued as he looked on with oddly shining green eyes.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am…" she replied, closing the cap onto her water bottle and shoving it inside her bag. She looked at him and smiled back. "Could I do anything for you?" she asked, wondering particularly why he was asking her and why he'd been hearing her name all day long.

"Well, Ann, I'm Frankie McArthur, a scout for World Wrestling Entertainment. I've been watching you fight in that ring for three hours now and I must say I'm very impressed with your talent…" he said, catching her off-guard with his revelation. "Of all the wrestlers here, I think you're the best I've seen yet… So, maybe we could talk over a cup of coffee or so and probably discuss your possible future with the WWE?"

"Wha-… Wow! Forgive me… I am still out of breath… I mean, I never expected to hear that so soon…" she said, rather amazed by the fact that there was a WWE scout standing in front of her now and he was asking her to coffee to discuss her future with the WWE. For her, this was big-time.

"So soon?" he questioned, his eyebrow quirking up. She looked at him and thought that he deserved an explanation. So she said, "Well, I've only been in this wrestling school for like a year or so… So, this is quite a big leap for someone like me…" He understood. He was once like that, too. "So, how about that coffee?" he asked.

"Well, I'd be glad to discuss things with you… And please, call me Riz… I don't like being called Ann… It sounds too girly and formal…" she said as she held out her hand for him to shake as an official introduction. He chuckled at her comment at her given name and shook her hand while saying, "Well, let's get going then, Riz… Oh, and please call me Frankie…"

They had gone to a small café nearby and ordered themselves some coffees. They sat down in a booth and discussed random things. They discussed about how she would like to join the WWE and be a diva; about how she was even interested in wrestling; about how she thought she could make it so far in the business; about her achievements; about where she came from and just mostly about her and who she was and how she was connected to wrestling.

"So, let me get this straight… You've been watching wrestling since you were a teen and you simply 'fell in love with it'…" he repeated what she said and used air quotes to emphasize the phrase. "After you graduated from college, you flew here to L.A. and grabbed the spot you could get in wrestling school… And now, your dream is to enter the WWE and be a part of one of the greatest businesses alive, am I right?"

"Yep! It's all I've ever wanted… I know I can make it in if I just work hard enough… And when I'm there, I'll never cease to improve… because you know, I'm a person who reaches for what people think are unattainable… As what I like to say, unattainable is intriguing… So, I aim for the best… Even if I have to work my way up from so low to get up there…" she explained the belief she's believed in for so long now to him.

"Well, I'm proud to say, Riz, that you've gone one step closer to that dream… Because judging from what I hear, you're exactly what we need in the WWE… So, I'm going to schedule an interview between you, Mr. McMahon and Steph so that you can discuss your contract, if ever you could impress them… We'll fly over to New York, tomorrow if we can, to meet them… Is that going to be alright with you?" he asked, catching her off-guard for the second time that day.

"Not to be rude or anything, Frankie, but you sure do have a knack for surprising me now, do ya?" she joked after she got out of her perpetual state of shock. They both burst out in laughter at the joke. "'Cause you always seem to catch me off-guard for some odd reason…" she said. He let out another soft chuckle. "But, yes, it's alright with me… So, we're going to be off tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah… I'll meet you at LAX at 5 AM so that we can catch our flight at 7… Is that okay with you or is it too early?" he asked, rather unsure of whether she'd already be awake at that time of the day. After all, it was only in the WWE that you'd have an irregular timetable due to all the flights and stuff to do. Tiring job, wasn't it?

"That's alright with me… It's a little early but I'll try to get there in time… So, uum… It's kinda like 6 PM already so I better get home and pack for tomorrow… I'll see you then?" she said as she began to stand up and grab her things. "I'd still have some things to finish at home and I don't want too sleep too late so that I would wake up early tomorrow…" she explained.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Riz… And congratulations… Not many people get this interview, so you should really be proud of yourself… It's an opportunity for you to fulfill that dream that you've always wanted to…" Frankie said as he stood up to shake her hand. "I know Vince will love you… You're a great girl…"

She shook his hand and smiled at him. "Thanks, Frankie… That means a lot coming from you… I'd better get going… Bye now! I'll see you tomorrow…" she said as she walked away from him and left the café. She walked all the way home with the smile permanently etched on her face. Today was a good day. No matter what happened, today was a definite good day.

The next morning, even before daybreak, Riz was already up. She had, unfortunately, missed dinner last night due to her excitement. She had been packing all night for her little trip to NYC and now, she was double-checking all her things. She didn't want to leave anything behind. Her stomach was rumbling, but that didn't bother her. She could get perhaps a donut and some coffee at the airport. It was already half an hour to 5 AM and if she didn't leave soon, she would be late.

Grabbing her navy blue jacket and putting it over her black baby-tee, she grabbed her black Echolac luggage and her black Bench body bag before leaving her apartment. She slipped a black cap over her head and proceeded to the car she had rented the night before so that transportation wouldn't be such a big issue. It was a silver Pontiac Solstice roadster with black leather seats. She placed her things in the trunk and her body bag in the driver's passenger seat. After which, she walked over and climbed into the driver's seat.

She started up the car and sped off to LAX. The flight to New York was approximately 3 hours. So, they'd be there at around 10. Not bad. It would still be pretty chilly, not to mention snowing, in New York since it was only December 27th. Yep. Riz went home for the holidays but came back immediately on the 25th to resume her training. She was a dedicated wrestler, not to mention a talented one, too. She sped into the airport parking lot and parked her car.

She climbed out and grabbed her things. Butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach for some odd reason, and it wasn't hunger. Food was the last thing on her mind right now. It was sheer nervousness. What if Vince McMahon didn't like her? What if she would suddenly stutter because she was so intimidated by him? What if Stephanie McMahon fires so many questions at her? What if she would accidentally trip or say something undesirable?

She surrendered her keys to the rental shop there and paid her dues. After which, she walked into the airport and craned her neck. It was 5 AM on the dot so Frankie must've been there already. She looked around some more and found him sitting in one of the waiting chairs there. She walked over to him and gave him a heartfelt, "Hi!"

"Oh! Hey there, Riz!" Frankie said as he stood up to shake her hand. "Are you all set to go?" he asked, offering the most caring smile she'd seen that day. "We've still got to check in since they just reserved seats for us…"

"Hell yeah! I'm excited as hell! " Riz said, the smile evident on her face. Her pearly whites were very much seen and she had this certain glow to her. It must've been the thought that she's going to be on a plane to New York in a couple of hours and she's going to be in the same room with Vince and Stephanie McMahon in another couple of hours. She was practically on her toes in delight.

The two checked in and got their business class seats paid for by the WWE. They proceeded to the waiting lounge where there were only minimal people. Their flight was at the same time as the time when the airport would be almost empty and not many people were going to be flying to New York that day. While Frankie decided to read that day's newspaper, Riz decided to fill up her stomach some. She walked over to the nearest Starbucks shop and grabbed herself a honey-glazed donut and a latte.

She paid for her meal and sat down on one of the seats. She had left her luggage back with Frankie and she had only brought her body bag with her. As she was nibbling on her donut and sipping her latte, she brought out her black Motorola Razr that had Z customized on the back in black Swarovski crystals. It was a swirly Z that kind of curled at the top and at the bottom. She flipped her phone open and saw that she had one message:

Heya, sis! Your big sis here checking up on you… I got your message… Guess I must've been asleep when you called… Good thing you left a message on the answering machine! I've told mom and dada about your interview and they're so happy for you! Call me soon, okay, noodle? I've got to hear everything that happens… Oh, and btw, our pest of a brother, Koko, Haha… kidding… Rico, he says hi… and asks for an autograph from… John Cena, was that? Yeah… you know, I still don't get why you two love wrestling so much… Anyway, tah-tah darling! I've got to go do some chores… I heart you! –mingo

If in case you might be wondering, Riz's sister's name isn't mingo and Riz's other nickname isn't noodle. It's just a little inside joke of theirs. Her sister, Celine Alexandra Cruz, is two years older than her. Their younger brother, Rico Carlo Cruz, is only seventeen. He's a senior in an exclusive boys school in Manila. The three siblings were the closest ever. Celine, a graduate from Ateneo de Manila, now runs their family's little insurance business. Rico, who had been accepted in the University of Santo Tomas, plans to take up Chemical Engineering. They were an excelling little bunch and their parents were very proud of them. Although, it was only Riz who preferred a job that was worlds different from her course.

Mingo! I'm at LAX… I was too excited this morning that I didn't realize you had sent me a msg… Anywho, tell mom and dada that I'll update them on my interview once its done… Oh, and tell Koko that there is no chance in the world that I'm getting him Cena's autograph… Haha… I'm sure that'll give him quite a downer… Haha… I'll call you after the interview, 'kay? I don't know what time it is there so anyways, I'll just call you or leave a msg or whatever… Love yah, mingo! –noodle

She sent a reply to her older sister. She actually felt rather homesick. She's only been home in time for the simbang gabi, a nine-day novena by dawn or late night masses; also called misa de gallo, and Christmas Eve. She had flown back to the States on the afternoon of the 25th. Ray himself called her back. So, she missed her family. She only went home during the holidays. The rest of the year, she only went home when she was called back.

Realizing that Frankie and hers flight was being called; she stood up and discarded her trash in the nearest trash bin. She shut off her Razr and shoved it back into her body bag. She walked the whole way back to where Frankie was sitting and waiting for her to return. In no time, they were gathering their things and before handing the attendant their tickets. Yep. This was it; the first few steps to her dream. It all began here.

They sat in their seats and put their luggage in the overhead bin. They got comfy in their seats, wore their seatbelts and relaxed. Business class wasn't the same as the Economy seats Riz always took. It was a lot comfier and cooler in business class. The plane soon took off and there they went. It was the beginning of what they expected to be a comfortable three-hour flight to New York City.

But then again, maybe it wasn't so comfortable. They had hit minor turbulence at least four times in the three hours and it wasn't helping Riz's throbbing head. It wasn't that she had a severe case of motion sickness, but think of it this way; almost everyone on that plane was already feeling nauseous from the ride. They couldn't eat their served brunch and even the flight attendants had to take some medicine so that their headaches would go away.

Three excruciating hours later, the plane finally landed in New York. The torture was finally over. This was, by far, the worst plane ride ever. Who would've expected four turbulence hits at 8 AM in the morning? As the passengers were filing off the plane, Frankie and Riz grabbed their things and proceeded to leaving the airport. "Dry land, it has never felt so good…" Riz joked, in which Frankie laughed at.

They rode the complimentary limousine to the Marriott hotel where all the WWE superstars were staying for their house show in NYC. The ride, it was pretty much quiet. But Frankie took the initiative to give her some helpful hints every now and then. "I must remind you that if Vince is in a bad mood, he doesn't tolerate people… but I'm sure Steph will be able to handle that… If you're lucky, you may be able to start your job, provided you are accepted, here in NYC during the house shows…" he says every now and then. Riz just nods.

"Once we get to the hotel, you and I will check in… You have your own room… Then, Vince wants to talk to you over lunch so you'd best get ready… Dress in semi-formal since Steph and Vince usually have their lunch in restaurants, so it's best to dress safely… You'd probably meet some superstars on the way; so, I'll introduce you to them… A-…" Frankie stopped talking when he noticed her fiddling with her fingers. "Are you nervous?" he asked her, a slight smile crawling onto his face. It was an amusing sight, seeing a new girl like her acting as if she was just asked to jump of the Empire State Building.

"Me? No!" she said rather defensively. "Then again… Maybe, yeah, I am nervous… Well, whom can you blame? I'm meeting Vince McMahon here and he's going to be interviewing me! If I do anything wrong, my dream goes pfft like a mist in the night sky!" she said, obviously worried about what was to happen later on that day.

"Don't worry, Riz… Just act natural… No cheesy lines, no fake information… Just go with the flow… Judging from when we talked back in L.A., you have nothing to be worried about… You can do it… You're talented in the ring and with your mouth… And use that sense of humor to probably lure Vince in… He likes people with a good sense of humor… They make the day lighter… Just be yourself! Don't be scared…" he comforted. She smiled and nodded.

Lunchtime had rolled by and Riz, wearing a simple pair of black slacks and a white three-fourths sleeve polo with simple black shoes to complete the look, found herself at Madison Square Gardens. The WWE had a show there tonight and it wasn't a big shocker that most of the superstars were there, stretching or training for the show. Though, of course, it was inevitable that some had shows or signings to do at a Wal-mart or something. On the way to Vince's office, with her head still in the clouds, Riz bumped into someone and she went flying back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the voice said. She opened her eyes to see John Cena extending a hand out for her to pull herself up. She was just in shock for about a second when she took his hand and stood up. "I didn't see you coming… I'm so sorry… Are you hurt or anything?" he asked, obviously concerned. She smiled a little at his concerned and shook her head. "Nah… I'm aiiite… I was just kinda spacing out 'cause I couldn't find Mr. McMahon's office and Frankie kinda left me here…" she said.

"Oh, so you're the girl that he was talking 'bout! Yeah, Riz, right?" he said with a smile. She nodded and smiled back. "Well, I've heard that your pretty damn good… heard that you even kicked a couple of guy's asses back in ye ol' wrestling school…" he said. "Well, ya best not be late for your interview with Vince… C'mon, I'll take you there…"

She couldn't help but agree. Compared to her 5"4 stature, John towered over her with his 6"1. So, maybe she did feel a little vertically challenged here but she didn't care. The first superstar she'd met was John Cena. And that was a good way to start a career. John Cena, right? Brown hair, baby blue eyes, buff physique and current top heel of the business? They walked side by side as they passed through various hallways. They had met a couple of superstars on the way and some had even thought she was his niece or something of the like. She had met, so far; Trish Stratus, Paul Levesque (HHH), Dave Bautista, Mark Calloway (Undertaker) and Shawn Michaels. It was a good day.

"Well, here's the big man's office…" John said as they came across a room that said 'Chairman: Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon' on the door. He knocked on the door for her and whispered, "Good luck…" with a smile before leaving her there. There was a 'Come in.' that came from the room.

Riz opened the door and saw Vincent Kennedy McMahon sitting there on his leather chair behind a grand oak desk. Beside him stood the General Manager of RAW and his daughter, Stephanie McMahon. "Ah, I presume you are Ms. Cruz, right? Frankie told me you'd be coming in for an interview today!" Vince said with a smile. He's in a good mood… Good… Riz said to herself.

"Yes, sir… I'm Ann Laurice Cruz… You can call me Riz for short…" she said as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "I, kind of lost Frankie in the crowd back there and luckily I still made it here in one piece…" she joked as Vince and Steph let out a little laugh. Frankie, always the missing guy.

"Well, it's a pleasure to have you here today, Riz… I'm Stephanie McMahon… You can call me Steph… This is my dad, the chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon… You can call him Vince…" Steph said. She was had long brunette hair and the sweetest smile you could imagine. She looked like an America's sweetheart kind of girl. "We should get going… We will be eating lunch in Chez Pierre… There, we can interview you…"

Chez Pierre was a fancy French restaurant. It was far from the usual McDonalds and Starbucks that Riz usually spent most of her time in. This was high society eating and it was lovely! Not to mention expensive, too. The three had eaten their food and had talked over some things, particularly Riz's educational background, her family, her wrestling experience and her interest in the business. So far, she had impressed Vince and Steph. She was a good speaker, not to mention hilarious, too.

The two McMahons had just calmed down after a burst of laughter from one of Riz's witty comments. They looked at each other and smiled. Then, they looked at Riz.

"…If you'd just sign this contract…" Vince said. "You'll officially be starting your career as a WWE diva…" he handed her a clipboard with some papers. "Are you serious?" she asked, still in shock. Vince and Steph nodded with the biggest smiles you could imagine. After flipping through the papers, Riz took her trademark black Parker pen from her pocket and signed the contract with a huge smile plastered onto her face.

"Congratulations, Riz!" Steph said. "You are now a member of the RAW roster!"

"I want you to officially debut tonight on RAW Live! I want to push you up the roster, but you have to start at the beginning! I can see a future in you, Riz! A very bright one!" Vince said. He had this glint in his eyes that simply said 'idea forming'. Steph was the same. They were talking about how she'd debut on RAW. Sure, she'd have to start from the bottom, but hey! It was going to be worth it! After sharing a celebratory toast, Riz thought:

Yep... This is a very good day...

Hello, dear people reading this story. I was actually very shocked to see the review reaction of people to the prologue. I didn't really expect that many reviews but hey! I'm not one to complain! Haha. Well, this chapter is 'kind of' boring since we're just tracing back to Riz's past. It's like… A flashback to keep the story running smoothly. M'kay? Now, you're done reading the whole chapter… time to review! Yay!

Happy reviewing!

-veracruzortongal