Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my story. I am not really good at writing fight scenes, so please forgive me if it is not that good. :)
"I found her", Mike said as they walked into the locker room. "Where the hell were you, Raven? You said 10 minutes." Ben was really annoyed. Before, Raven could answer, Mike said, "I found her in Tyler Black's locker room." Raven turn to look at Mike, her eyes wide in surprise, "That was Tyler Black?!"
"Well, who did you think it was?", Mike replied.
O my god, she was almost kissed by Tyler Black and she asked him if he was any good as a wrestler. For goodness sake, he is the ROH World Champion. Raven was interrupted from her thoughts by Ben, "Who cares! Raven get dress", Ben said as he threw her duffle bag filled with her ring gear at her.
Tyler had a hand over his mouth, he couldn't believe how close he came to kissing that girl. Raven the guy had called her. He couldn't get those big hazel eyes out of his head, she wanted him to kiss her, she had not pulled away until they were interrupted. There was something about her that had drawn him to her, she obviously felt it too, otherwise she would have left the locker room sooner.
Suddenly, Elizabeth walked through the door, "Hi babe", she said with a big smile on her face. She was about 5'4, petite with long blond hair and green eyes. What Tyler like best was her smile. Guilt washed over him as he greeted his girlfriend, "Hi Lizzy", he tried to sound as cheerful as he could and gave her the best smile he could muster. "Is something wrong Tyler?"
"No, no I am just trying to concentrate on my moves before the match.", he lied but what was he going to say, that he almost kissed another girl and now he can't get her out of his head. "Well, I just snuck away to wish you the best on your match tonight, things are starting to get chaotic out there and I probably won't be able to later." She said as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist and gave him kiss. Tyler kissed her back and suddenly those hazel eyes flashed before him again, he forced his girlfriend's mouth open to allow entrance for his tongue, which elicit a moan from Elizabeth. He deepened the kiss trying to erase those eyes from his memory and concentrate on Elizabeth. When he ended the kiss, Elizabeth exclaimed, "Wow, I have interrupt you more often. By the way, your father is here." He smiled at her as he released his hold on her to finish lacing up his boots. Tyler felt even worse at the mention of his father, it only reminded him how it felt to have been cheated on. His relationship with his father had improved ever since his break up with Danielle. His mother had helped him through the situation and he would always be grateful for her love and support but there are things only another guy can understand.
"Hey, have you heard?", Elizabeth said excitedly. "About what?" "The Diva's Champion is fighting an unknown tonight, apparently her original opponent's plane got held up. The Commissioner was so desperate to fill the time slot that when Ben Humphrey approached him about his wrestler he quickly accepted. I just wonder if this girl is going to be any challenge for the Diva's Champion or if it is going to be a one sided match? You have been in this industry for while, maybe you have heard of her, her name is Raven." At the mention of her name, Tyler froze that was the girl that was in his locker room earlier. "Well?", asked Elizabeth. "Well what?" replied Tyler. "Have you heard of her?"
"O, I am sorry no, no I haven't." Tyler kept his eyes on his boots, so Elizabeth would not see how the name affected him. "I should get back before I am missed." She gave Tyler a final peck on the lips and hurried out the door.
The great thing about having a best friend as a fashion designer were the free cloths. Angel had designed all of Raven's outfits for the ring, all of the clothes had a gothic influence. She was wearing a purple corset with black flower designs on it. There was a row of buttons in the middle and lace black trim at on the bottom and top edges of the corset. What she loved the most was the upside done V on the back bottom of the corset, which allowed for her tattoo of the Papilio Ulysses Butterfly to be seen. The corset also allowed for her other tattoos on her interior wrist to be seen. She wear black short, shorts with a 2 layer, black with purple trim, min-skirt over it, the material was stretchable which allowed her to move freely. Raven then braided her hair making 2 pick tails and then wrapped them in buns on the sides of her head. She added white powered to her face and blood red lipstick to her lips. Ben had encouraged Raven to come up with a ring persona, he said it would help her with her inhibitions out in the ring. She looked at herself in the mirror, she was no longer Raven Duran but Raven the wrestler and she was going to win this match, no matter what it took to defeat her opponent. She owed it to Ben and the guys, they believed in her and trained her and she was not going to let them down.
As she was lacing up her boots, Ben was telling her what to expect from the Diva's Champion and what she needed to do. "If she tries to put you in a submission hold, don't allow her to drag you into the middle of the ring or you are done. Also, watch it for her clothesline, she as a wicked one. But most importantly, when you attack her be unrelenting, don't easy up until you have the pin." Once Raven was done lacing up her boots she started to bounce on her toes from one foot to the other as she continued to listen to Ben. "Remember you have nothing to prove, she is the Diva's Champion, she is the one with a lot to lose." There was a rapid knock at the door, "Come in", said Ben. It was a staff member, "Your on in 10. What is your wrestler's name?"
"Raven", said Ben. Raven took a deep breath and followed Ben to the arena entrance. She felt her skin tingle with anticipation and butterflies in her stomach. As they reached the arena entrance, the same staff member came up to them, "You can't use the name Raven, there is already a wrestler by that name."
"But that is my name", said Raven a little distressed.
"Look, why don't you introduce her as "The Raven"." Ben suggested.
The staff member shook his head no, "You are still using the name Raven."
"Isn't he retired already. People will know you are referring to a different wrestler because you are using "The" before Raven, plus she is a woman.", argued Ben.
"Let me check with my boss." He said as he dialed his cell phone.
Ben turned his attention back to The Raven, he placed both his hands on her shoulders and looked directly at her. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, win or lose, I am proud of you. And I will always be here for you no matter what." He said genuinely. His words were a great relief to The Raven, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The one person's opinion she valued the most was Ben's and she hated the thought of disappointing him if she didn't live up to his expectations. "Thanks Ben."
"My boss said it was ok to introduce her as "The Raven". I need you to stand over here and wait for the announcer to say your name then go out to the ring." She continued to bounce on the balls of her feet, she could her the noise of the crowd and the MC announce her. She turned around one more time to look at Ben, "You can do it", he said. The Raven nodded her head and went out to the ring.
The Raven was 10 minutes into the match and she was basically getting her ass kicked by the Diva's Champion. She was allowing the moment to intimidate her which resulted in her being tentative with her moves. She was currently in a submission hold with the Diva's Champion trying to drag her in the middle of the ring. The pain was bearable but slowly increasing in force, with all her strength and desperation The Raven reached and dragged herself toward the ropes, finally grabbing onto the bottom rope. The minute the Diva's Champion released her, The Raven rolled out of the ring and the fans started to boo her.
She needed to pull herself together and come up with a plan of action. In the ring the Diva's Champion was strutting around acting like she already won the match. The Raven looked over to Ben, he was mouthing "you can do it" and shaking his fist in front of him. Mike, Ray, Derek and James, they were shouting "kick her ass". Even now they still believed in her, seeing them gave her strength, she took a deep breath and knew what she had to do. The Raven rolled back into the ring and focused on the person in front of her, she blocked out the noise of the crowd as their boos intensified. She allowed the Diva's Champion to kick her in the abdomen, she was winded but recovered quickly. The Diva's Champion then grabbed her by the arm and threw her into the ropes as she bounced off the ropes and came toward her opponent, The Raven saw her opening, just as her opponent was about to do a clothesline. She ducted out of the way and bounced off the opposite ropes with her opponent's back still to her, The Raven slammed hard into her, knocking her face down into the mat. The Raven then leaped up into the air and brought her elbow down into the middle of the Diva's Champion's back, then flipped her over and pinned her. The ref counted to 1,2 and the Diva's Champion kicked out. The Raven could hear Ben's voice in her head telling her "be unrelenting until you get the pin", she then climbed the ropes to reach the top of the turn buckle, her opponent was still on the mat. She did a frog splash landing on the Diva's Champion's chest. The Raven went for the pin a second time but she kicked out in 2 again. It was the Diva's Champion's turn to roll out of the ring. The Raven was not going to lose the momentum, she walked through ropes and stood at the edge of the apron, turned her back to her opponent and then jumped on the middle rope to execute a springboard moonsault. Landing on her opponent at full force, she leaped to her feet and grabbed the Diva's Champion by the hair and arm and threw her back into the ring. The Raven went to the opposite end of the ring to do one more move that would guarantee the three count. As the Diva's Champion staggered to her feet, she was very disoriented. The moment she turned toward The Raven, The Raven charged her at full speed, spearing and quickly pinned her for the third time. The referee was able to count to three, he then grabbed The Raven by the arm and lifted it to acknowledge her as the winner. "Your winner by count out, The Raven", the announcer said. The crowd didn't seem to know how to respond, they appeared just as shocked by her victory as she was but slowly they began to cheered for her. She turned to where Ben and the guys were and she could see Ben with a big smile on his face and his fists in the air. Mike, Ray, Derek and James were jumping up and down screaming her name.
"Your up Tyler!" Tyler was ready, he was tired of Richards talking shit and couldn't wait to defeat him, so he could solidify his championship reign. He heard as Davey Richards walked out to the ring, the crowd went wild for him. He could hear the crowd chant "Next World Champion." When Tyler walked out to the ring, the crowd's response was mixed, some cheered for him but it seemed that most booed him. The obvious favorite was Richards, it didn't matter to Tyler, it wasn't going to change the outcome.
Tyler entered the ring went to each corner and stood on the turnbuckle and lifted his belt in the air to show the crowd, he was the ROH World Champion. On the last turnbuckle, Davey Richards stood on the second rope looking at Tyler Black refusing to move. This didn't faze Tyler, he lifted up the ROH World Championship Belt in front of Richards, daring him to take it from him. The referee motioned Tyler to the opposite corner of the ring. When the announcer introduced Davey Richards the crowd started to chant "Next World Champion". When it was Tyler's turn the crowd started to boo and chant "Fuck you, Tyler". Again this did not deter him, he felt no remorse for this crowd when the match ended, they were all going to be sorely disappointed when he retains his title. Tyler went to the middle of the ring and in accordance with the ROH code of honor, he held his hand out to Davey Richards to shake, wishing him luck. However, Davey walked up to him, looked at Tyler in the face then his hand for a couple of seconds, then he spit at Tyler's hand. Tyler wiped his hand on his boot and went to his corner. The bell rang and the match started.
The Raven sat between Ben and Mike. Ray, Derek and James were off to the sides. The Raven watched the drama unfold before her, she couldn't understand why the crowd acted the way they did with Tyler. James had said that Tyler had been the ROH World Champion for 4 months now. Surely, Tyler had to be great if he was able to retain the title that long. She tugged on Ben's sleeve, when she had his attention, she asked, "Why are they "booing" and saying "fuck you" to Tyler?", her confusion evident.
"As you get further up the ladder it becomes more about showmanship and performance than it does about skill and technique."
"I don't get it. Why would they want someone who just talks shit and gives attitude as a the World Champion, instead of someone who is skilled and capable?", The Raven was baffled by Ben's response.
"Because ultimately we are all entertainers, Raven. We do what is good for business." Ben said in a serious voice as he continued to explain. "Davey just doesn't talk shit and give attitude, he is actually a very good wrestler. Maybe not as clean and technical as Tyler, but he is a worthy adversary. People would find it boring to just come and see a bunch of guys wrestle, you have to make it entertaining to keep them interested or like everything else it will just fade away. Davey has that "I don't care about the rules" attitude and complete confidence that he can beat Tyler. Many of the male fans here can relate to that, which is why he draws them in and they support him. Tyler on the other hand is a dynamic wrestler, he considers this a form of art and takes great pride in perfecting his technique. Tyler awes the crowds with his skill and his ability to think through his matches to get the win. However, as you can see here not everyone appreciation his abilities."
"So being a professional wrestler is not just about your abilities?", The Raven asked
"No, I am afraid not. Didn't you notice how the crowd respond to you when you walked out to the ring, they didn't cheer nor did they boo you, they were in awe of you. They had never seen anyone quite like you. And you did that before they ever got to see your wrestling skills."
"So, that's why you encouraged me to develop a ring persona." The Raven smiled at the realization of easy it was for Ben to manipulated her into doing it with the guise that it was just for her benefit. "That's right kiddo. There are a lot of young people into the Goth thing." said Ben. "How do you know that?" The Raven asked surprised. "Its my job to know."
"I have one more question. Why would anyone want to be a professional wrestler, if you are not being judged by your skills and ability to win a match?", she asked still confused.
"You have been on tour with me for 9 months, why do you think?", Ben asked patiently. The Raven thought about it for a while, "Because despite everything it is a lot of fun and it is a challenge. You have to work to get the crowd on your side and once you do, it makes you feel alive and like you can do anything. Also, I enjoy the physical part of it and the challenge in defeating my opponents."
"Well, there's your answer kiddo. Now lets just watch the match."
Tyler was exhausted and didn't know how much longer the match would last. He had to put an end to it before he couldn't move anymore, plus his knee was hurting him. He had tried several times to pin Davey and each time he managed to kick out in 2.
Davey had fallen to his knees and Tyler kick him in the chin. Then he lifted Davey over his shoulder and did one of his signature moves called God's Last Gift. There was no way Davey could breakout of this hold, he was too exhausted and Tyler was holding him too tight. Tyler finally got the 3 count to win the match and retain his title. The referee gave him his belt and lifted his arm to acknowledge him as the winner. Some people cheered him and some booed him and some started to throw empty water bottles at him. He wanted to leave the ring already but when he turned around he saw that Davey had still not gotten up off the mat. Tyler stood over Davey and could see that he was completely out of it, he went to the edge of the ring and shout for the medics. Finally, Davey started to come around, when he finally was able to make it to his feet, he grabbed a microphone and looked at Tyler. "Your the Champion now." Davey then stumbled out of the ring. Tyler grabbed a microphone and thanked him for a great match.
The Raven followed the guys backstage, Ben was going to have them meet Tyler Black. She was so exited and couldn't wait to be formally introduced to him. Maybe she could still get that kiss that Mike had so rudely interrupted. She had definitely felt something between them, he had to have felt it too, otherwise, why would have he tried to kiss her.
Suddenly, The Raven heard a girl yelling "Congratulations Baby! I knew you could beat him?" She then put her arms around Tyler's neck and kissed him, he kissed her back.
The Raven didn't feel, so excited anymore, she felt disappointed and hurt. "Who is that?" she asked Ray. "That's his girlfriend, Elizabeth. I think they have been going out for a couple of months now." The Raven definitely felt let down, she knew it was ridiculous to feel this way considering nothing really happened. But there was definitely a connection there or maybe it was his way of trying to get into her pants. God she was so dumb.
"Raven, what's wrong?", Ben asked. She looked bothered by something. "Nothing, I am just suddenly tired. Can I have the keys to the van? I will wait for you guys there."
"But, I thought you wanted to meet Tyler Black?"
"I really am tired and not up to it. I will just meet you at the van.", she said.
"Ok, here are the keys to the van. We won't take long I promise."
As The Raven walked to the van she thought, he maybe a great technical wrestler but he was also definitely a jerk.