Chapter 90: Shooting Blanks

The following week, RAW was in Sioux City, Iowa and on that night, Delancey was facing Layla in her first Divas' match since returning to RAW, Amanda was teaming up with Melina to face Beth Phoenix and Jillian Hall in a Divas' tag team match, and John was facing Shawn Michaels.

The Angels were in their locker room looking at pictures on the WWE website on Nicole's laptop computer. There were pictures of the launch party of John and Nicole's new clothing line Checkpoint this past Friday.

"I gotta tell you," Amanda said, "that night was awesome. I mean, your clothes, the fashion show, it was totally a success."

"Yeah, and Shayna & Skye kept fighting over who was gonna get that pretty pink vintage tube top and I thought it was funny," Delancey said.

"Well, the launch was a success if I do say so myself," Nicole said, "and starting next month, Mr. McMahon wants some of the clothing line to be sold across the shows in the arena on sale."

"Nicole, that's awesome," Buffy said.

"Gosh, Nicole, your hobby is gonna be a freaking gold mine once it gets into the stores," Brittany said.

"Well, clothes are my specialty especially when it comes to shopping," Nicole said.

"Maybe you could start designing wrestling attire for me because I'm fresh out of ideas," Amanda said.

"No problem."

"And speaking of clothes," Brittany said, "could you help me find a dress for the wedding because I'm having trouble finding a particular one."

"Okay, what are you looking for?"

"Something simple but beautiful."

"Alright."

Nicole went onto the David's Bridal and she & the other Angels look through a lot of dresses until Brittany finally found one.

"I like that one," Brittany said.

Brittany chose a white chiffon A-line bridal gown with a split front skirt, satin cuff neckline, and empire waist with a center front beaded appliqué.

"That looks like something that is simple and beautiful," Nicole said.

"What do you think, Amanda?" Buffy said.

"I like it," Amanda said. "That's what you wanted: simple and beautiful."

"Yeah, that's the one," Brittany said. "Oh, my God, I can't wait."

"Now we have to pick a day for you and Alexis to go try on the dresses," Nicole said.

"How about sometime in March because we almost have a full month in February?"

"We may have to use that month to find a dress for the Hall of Fame ceremony," Buffy said.

"Oh, yeah, that too," Amanda said. "We'll think of a good day; we still got at least six months to go."

Then RAW was on and Nicole was walking down the hallway and she reached the entrance to the arena, she spotted Chris Jericho being escorted by security.

Earlier, Stephanie McMahon kicked off by sharing her apparent excitement for Vince McMahon's return but was interrupted by Chris Jericho, who not only called Stephanie a liar, but intimated that Vince would replace JBL in the World Heavyweight Championship Match with him at the Royal Rumble. After being told by Chris that she cannot run RAW properly, Stephanie attempted to place the him in a match, in which Chris refused to participate. As a reaction to his insubordination, Stephanie barred the arrogant Chris from competing in the Royal Rumble and promptly fired him, Chris' second time being let go from WWE.

As Chris and the security walked towards Nicole, Nicole slapped him in the face.

"That is for pushing Rochelle off the steel cage and getting her injured." Then Nicole kicked him in the groin. "And that was punching Shawn Michaels' wife in the face."

"Bitch, you're lucky I can't lay a finger on you," Chris said as he tried to maintain his composure.

"How do I know you're lucky? You know what? I don't even wanna talk to you because it's time for you to get your lying, hypocrite, psychopath ass out of this arena right now!"

Then the security pulled Chris away and Nicole looked at him with a smile on her face.

A little later it was time for the Divas' match which was Delancey versus Layla and Layla's entrance theme played and she came out from the curtain.

"The following Divas' match is scheduled for one fall," Lillian Garcia announced. "Introducing first from Miami, Florida, Layla."

Layla walked down the ramp, went around the ring, got up on the apron and lifted her leg up. Then she got into the ring and Delancey's entrance theme played and she came out from the curtain.

"And her opponent from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Delancey Scott," Lillian announced.

Delancey was wearing an aqua green samba jumpsuit, a silver armband, and her hair curled. Delancey walked down the aisle slapping the hands of the fans and got on the apron and flipped into the ring. Then she got on the turnbuckles and raised her arms in the air and got back down as the referee called for the bell.

Delancey and Layla locked up and Delancey got an arm drag and Layla went after Delancey as she got another arm drag and then Delancey kicked Layla and went for a slam but Layla bailed out of the ring and Delancey followed and got a knee to the midsection and landed a forearm and threw Layla in the ring and covered for a two count. Then Delancey landed a couple of right hands and whipped Layla to the ropes and Delancey landed a flapjack for a two count and Delancey applied an armlock and Layla got to her feet and got a couple of right hands and a knee to the midsection and Layla whipped Delancey to the ropes and splashed her. Then Layla got a snap mare and hit Delancey's head on the turnbuckle and Layla drove a knee to Delancey's face and Layla climbed the top turnbuckle and went for a flying elbow but Delancey moved and Delancey rolled up Layla for a two count and then Delancey waited for Layla to get up and then Delancey got Layla on her shoulder and landed the Dominator for the three count.

"Here is your winner, Delancey Scott," Lillian announced.

The referee raised Delancey's arm in the air and Delancey bowed to the crowd and climbed on the top turnbuckle and raised her arms in the air. Then Delancey got back down and looked down at Layla with a smile and left the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.

Later, John was going to be in an interview with Todd Grisham.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena," Todd said as John and Nicole came forward.

Nicole was wearing an orange satin drawstring v-cup midriff tank top, black miniskirt, and her hair curled.

"John, we're less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble, all the talk, all the excitement……."

"You're gonna tell me that about the Royal Rumble?"

"Yeah."

"I know about the Royal Rumble, I snuck in last year, fooled everybody and won the whole damn thing, I know about the Royal Rumble, they know about the Royal Rumble, I'll tell you what, we're gonna tell you about the Royal Rumble. The Royal Rumble is the most exciting, unpredictable, amazing pay-per-view event we have all year. The road to Wrestlemania starts at the Royal Rumble. Anything, anything can happen and this year, anything has happen because at the Royal Rumble, I have to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against JBL. And you folks can say what you want about JBL but make sure to include this: he's a former WWE Champion, he's responsible for some of the most brutal matches that I have had here since I entered the WWE. And as if he needed a final ace up his sleeve, JBL has now bought himself better. No, no, no, JBL has bought himself the best because Shawn Michaels now stands firmly in the corner of team JBL. Shawn Michaels, the man I face tonight, is every bit as good as he says he is. He is the Show Stopper, he is the Heartbreak Kid, and he is most certainly the Main Event and Shawn, if you're watching, you left one out, you're also Mr. Wrestlemania and because you're taking orders from JBL, you don't have a Royal Rumble, you don't have a Wrestlemania, so tonight, I compete against Shawn Michaels in you Wrestlemania, so be it."

"And Shawn," Nicole said, "if I were you, I'd walk away while I still can because JBL is using you and everybody is trying to talk some sense into you; but have it your way."

Then John and Nicole walked away.

Then it was time for the Divas' tag team match which was Amanda and Melina versus Beth Phoenix and Jillian Hall.

Beth and Jillian were already in the ring and Amanda's entrance theme played and she came out from the curtain.

"And their opponents first, from Cincinnati, Ohio, she is the WWE Women's Champion, Amanda," Lillian Garcia announced.

Amanda raised the Women's Title belt in the air and walked down the ramp slapping the hands of the fans and stopped a few feet away from the ring as Melina's entrance theme played and she came out from the curtain.

"And her tag team partner from Los Angeles, California, Melina," Lillian announced.

Melina walked down the ramp she was attacked from behind by a member of the paparazzi and was beating on her and Melina removed the hat to reveal Rosa Mendes in disguise and security took her away. Amanda checked on Melina as they were attacked from behind and Jillian took Melina down by the hair as Beth stomped on Amanda and Beth & Jillian continued to beat on Melina and Beth Phoenix threw Melina into the security wall. Then the Angelic Coalition came out from the curtain and Madison Spears jumped on Beth as Skye and Shayna Brooke double-teamed on Jillian and Madison whipped Beth to the ring steps and Skye held onto Jillian as Shayna landed a bicycle kick and Skye got a Russian legsweep to Jillian on the floor.

Then the Coalition checked on Amanda & Melina and helped them up and the five walked to the back as RAW went to a commercial break.

A little later, it was time for the match which was John versus Shawn Michaels.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield's entrance theme played and the limo came from the side of the arena. Then the driver came out of the limo and he opened the door and JBL & Shawn Michaels came out. The two walked down the ramp and Shawn got into the ring and John's entrance theme played and he comes out from the curtain with Nicole following him. The two walked down the ramp and got inside the ring and looked at Shawn & JBL and John raised the World Heavyweight Championship Title belt in the air and gave his belt to Nicole and was pumping up the crowd and raised his arms in the air.

Then John took off his new HLR Academy baseball cap and threw it to the crowd and he looked at Shawn as he extended his hand to him and Shawn reluctantly shook it and John took off his HLR Academy t-shirt and threw it to the crowd and took off his dog tags and gave them to Nicole and Nicole left the ring as the referee called for the bell.

John and Shawn circled around the ring and they locked up as Shawn got an armlock and twisted John's arm and landed a suplex as he got an armlock on the mat as John got a head scissors but Shawn escaped and the two stared at each other down and circled around the ring and locked up as Shawn got a headlock and got a takedown and John got another head scissors and Shawn escaped again and Shawn pushed John but John got a right hand looked down at Shawn as Shawn took a breather in the corner. John continued to stare at Shawn as the two locked up once again and Shawn got a side headlock and went behind John applying an armlock taking him to his knees and John got a hard back elbow and bounced off the ropes and got a shoulder block and then bounced off the ropes and Shawn went for an arm drag but John countered into an arm drag of his own and John got a drop toe hold and went for the STF but Shawn kicked him off and went for Sweet Chin Music but John backed away into the corner.

John looked at JBL and back at Shawn and the two locked up as John back Shawn into the corner and Shawn got John into the corner before a break and Shawn chopped John three times but John got Shawn into the corner and unleashed some right hands and John got Shawn in the corner and got a chop to John twice and went to whip to the corner but John reversed and John backdropped Michaels seconds later, and then clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor. As Shawn climbed up on the apron, John went after Shawn but Shawn yanked him on the top rope and got a couple of knees to the head and then Shawn stomped on John and kicked him in the head followed by an elbow drop. Shawn was landing three more to John and went to whip him but John reversed and landed two clotheslines and he whipped Shawn to the corner flipping him over the turnbuckle and John bounced off the ropes and landed a bulldog slam for a two count.

Then John whipped Shawn hard to the corner and went for a suplex but Shawn countered and went for a roll-up but Shawn pulled John to the middle of the ring and applied a figure-four but John escaped reversing the hold and forcing to break the hold and shook off his legs, then Shawn hit John's head on the turnbuckle and went to whip John to the corner and John reversed and Shawn flew to the top turnbuckle and kicked Shawn in the gut and went for the FU but Shawn escaped and bounced off the ropes and John kicked Shawn in the midsection and John bounced off the ropes to land a running neck snap. He climbed the top turnbuckle and leaped and Shawn sidestepped and applied a crossface and John reached the bottom rope to force a break and rolled out of the ring.

Shawn followed and landed a few right hands and threw John back into the ring and went to whip John but John reversed whipping Shawn hard into the corner bumping over the top rope to the floor and John got out of the ring and threw Shawn back into the ring and whipped Shawn to the ropes and got a side slam for a two count. John covered again for a two count and John got a back suplex for a two count and John whipped Shawn to the corner hard and kicked him in the midsection and landed a fisherman's suplex for a two count and John stalked Shawn as he went for the FU but Shawn held onto the top rope and John caught him settling into a bearhug for a while and Shawn powered out with a back elbow and John applied the bear hug again as he shoved Shawn into the corner and whipped Shawn to the corner and charged into with a boot to the face.

John was down as Shawn took a breather and then Shawn got a chop to the chest and John got a right hand and the two traded blows as Shawn went to whip John but John reversed and Shawn got a flying forearm and after a collision, Michaels nipped up and got an atomic drop and a right hand and Shawn went for another atomic drop but John escaped and John ducked a clothesline and shoulder tackled Michaels to the mat and John landed two clothesline and went for a hip toss. He followed with an atomic drop attempt, but Michaels reversed leverage into a two count attempt and then Shawn got a scoop slam and Shawn then climbed the top turnbuckle.

John met him there with a right hand and John climbed the top turnbuckle and the two men fought as John went for the FU but Shawn slipped down and powerbombed John to the mat for a near fall and Shawn climbed the top turnbuckle and went for the flying elbow but John moved. Shawn laid on the mat as John climbed to the top turnbuckle again and landed a legdrop to the back of Shawn' neck. Then John did the "You can't see me" to JBL and bounced off the ropes to land the Five Knuckle Shuffle and went for the FU but Shawn countered into a DDT for a near fall and Shawn climbed the top turnbuckle and landed the flying elbow drop and went to the corner for Sweet Chin Music. But John ducked and then hit the FU and the two men were down and John made the cover for a two count.

Then John lifted Shawn for the FU but Shawn escaped and got a surprised him with a superkick for a near fall and the two men were down again and John lifted Shawn for the FU but Shawn rolled through into a sunset flip for a near fall and John then got a drop toe hold and locked on the STFU. Shawn winced in pain near the ropes where JBL cheered him on and Shawn grabbed the bottom rope forcing a break and then John stalked Shawn and lifted Shawn for the FU but Shawn escaped and shoved John into the ropes and when JBL reached for him, John hesitated and landed Sweet Chin Music for the win.

Nicole was shocked as Shawn crawled out of the ring and walked up the ramp to the back and Nicole got into the ring to check on John and JBL got into the ring and stood over John and stared at him as RAW came to a close.